Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Caught in pandemic's net, fish sellers struggle to stay afloat in India

In 35 years of selling the village catch, Jennet Cleetus said business has never been so bad for her and other women who make ends meet by hawking seafood along the palm-fringed coast of Kerala in southern India.

India - one of the countries worst-hit by COVID-19 - has eased most lockdown restrictions and sought to reopen its battered economy, but some curbs on informal vendors remain and many customers are too scared to go out shopping.


"First, our men couldn't go fishing. When they did go and brought fish in, we couldn't go and buy it. Now if we buy it, we can't sell it outside our villages," said Cleetus, 60, from her home in Valiya Veli in Thiruvananthapuram district.

Additional pandemic requirements are adding to their woes, she added.

"The government wants us to get an antigen test, produce the certificate and get permission from the police before we can enter the markets. The test is expensive but we have to do it now or we may die of hunger."

Cleetus is among the tens of thousands of women fish vendors living along India's 7,500-kilometre (4,660-mile) coastline who are battling to regain livelihoods hit by wary buyers, online sales and persistent curbs on movement and access to markets.

An estimated 25 million people make a living from fishing and related activities in India, government data states.

Women make up nearly half of the workforce, taking a lead in the procuring, processing and marketing of fish, said S Velvizhi, who heads the Fish for All research and training centre at Poompuhar in Tamil Nadu state.

Traditionally, women known as headloaders sell fish door-to-door, carrying sardines, shrimps and other local fish in bamboo baskets or aluminum vessels. Others sit on pavements or operate out of fish markets.

"Many of them are single women and most of them use their income for the everyday running of their households," said Velvizhi. "The pandemic has increased the debt burden on these women and pushed their families to the brink of poverty."

RISING DEBTS

In the middle of the lockdown, the Indian government announced broad plans to modernise the nation's fishing industry.

"One of the thrust areas of the new plan is to empower women in fisheries," Shankar Laxman, joint commissioner in India's Ministry of Fisheries, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"We are aware that the pandemic has hit women fishworkers badly. The new scheme will benefit them. We are not encouraging roadside vendors anymore and will support them to set-up modern kiosks with freezers and display cabinets to sell hygienically."

Lakshmi Kowada, president of the Traditional Fish Workers' Union in Andhra Pradesh state, said he was not impressed by the government blueprint.

"Today's ground reality is that women are not able to enter apartment blocks or housing colonies to sell fish," said Kowada, who has been in the business for 20 years, demanding immediate financial assistance for the fish sellers.

Wearing a mask and carrying extra water to wash her hands frequently, Maharani Selvamani went out to sell fish at a street corner in Mayiladuthurai town in Tamil Nadu state a few weeks back.

"I had just bought fish worth 2,000 Indian rupees ($27) to sell but sold only 500 rupees worth," she said.

"I have never faced such losses... Police and municipal officials keep shooing us away and shifting our location," said Selvamani, whose husband died during the lockdown.

Last week, she started saving the number of regular customers on her mobile phone and sharing hers with them.

"Sometimes I call them and tell them about the fish I have and where I am. I try but it doesn't seem enough."

More For You

Barbie with type 1 diabetes

This is also part of Mattel’s mission to extend the boundaries of imaginative play

Mattel

Mattel introduces first Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes to promote inclusion

Highlights

  • Mattel launches new Barbie with type 1 diabetes
  • The doll features a glucose monitor, insulin pump and CGM app
  • Created in collaboration with type 1 diabetes charity Breakthrough T1D
  • Part of Mattel’s broader push for inclusivity and representation in toys

Barbie with type 1 diabetes joins inclusive fashionistas range

Mattel has launched its first diabetes Barbie doll, designed to represent children with type 1 diabetes and promote greater inclusivity in children’s toys.

The new addition to the Barbie Fashionistas line comes with realistic medical features including a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) on her arm, secured with heart-shaped medical tape, and an insulin pump to help manage her blood sugar levels. She also carries a smartphone with a CGM app to monitor glucose throughout the day, and a bag large enough to store snacks and other essentials.

Keep ReadingShow less
Schiaparelli exhibition UK

Italian-born French fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli

Getty Images

V&A announces UK’s first Schiaparelli exhibition as Natasha Poonawalla’s Met Gala looks make a comeback

“In difficult times fashion is always outrageous.” – Elsa Schiaparelli.

The Victoria & Albert Museum has announced its first ever UK exhibition dedicated to Elsa Schiaparelli, the visionary designer who blurred the boundaries between fashion, art and performance. Titled Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, it runs from 21 March to 1 November 2026 in the Sainsbury Gallery and will draw on the V&A’s status as home to Britain’s National Collection of Dress and its foremost collection of Schiaparelli garments.

Keep ReadingShow less
Martin Lewis warns shoppers

Lewis clarifies legal rights for online and in-store purchases

iStock

Martin Lewis warns shoppers about misleading return policies at 30 UK retailers

Highlights

  • Martin Lewis flags incorrect return rights information on 30 retail websites
  • Retailers include New Look, The Range, and Selfridges
  • Lewis clarifies legal rights for online and in-store purchases
  • Trading Standards to be alerted following MoneySavingExpert.com investigation

Martin Lewis highlights return rights confusion

Money-saving expert Martin Lewis has issued a warning to UK consumers after uncovering misleading returns information on the websites of 30 major retailers, including New Look, The Range, and Selfridges.

Speaking on ITV1's Good Morning Britain, Lewis explained that several retailers are presenting incorrect information about return rights for online shoppers — in some cases, underplaying the legal protections customers are entitled to.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gemma Collins Instagram ban

Collins accepted the findings of the ASA’s investigation

Getty Images

Gemma Collins’ Instagram post banned over weight-loss drug promotion

Highlights

  • Instagram post by Gemma Collins promoting Yazen weight-loss service banned
  • ASA rules it breached regulations on promoting prescription-only medication
  • Eight other weight-loss ads also banned in regulatory crackdown

ASA bans Collins' Instagram advert

An Instagram post by TV personality Gemma Collins promoting a weight-loss drug and digital service has been banned by the UK’s advertising watchdog for breaching regulations around prescription-only medicines.

Collins had shared a promotional video on 6 January 2025, stating: “I’m starting this year two sizes down, thanks to Yazen’s weight loss app and medication.” The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the post unlawfully promoted prescription-only medication to the public.

Keep ReadingShow less
5 secret beaches

Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire, Wales

iStock

5 secret beaches in the UK that feel like the tropics

Key points

  • Discover hidden UK beaches with turquoise waters and golden sands
  • Ideal for summer staycations without the cost of long-haul travel
  • Includes lesser-known spots in Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, and more
  • Perfect for quiet escapes, coastal walks, and Instagram-worthy views

Escape to paradise – no passport required

Think you need to fly halfway across the world for clear blue water and white sand? Think again. The UK is home to a surprising number of secluded beaches that look straight out of the Caribbean – without the crowds or jet lag. From hidden coves in Cornwall to windswept bays in the Scottish Highlands, here are some of the most tropical-looking beaches on British soil.

1. Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire, Wales

Often dubbed the UK’s answer to the Caribbean, this National Trust-owned gem boasts golden sand, crystal-clear waters, and dramatic cliffs. Accessed by a half-mile walk from Stackpole Quay, it remains blissfully untouched by development.

Keep ReadingShow less