On 11th September 2024, Union Minister Rajeev Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying (MoFAH&D) launched and unveiled several new initiatives and projects aimed to boost the fisheries sector and strengthen India’s blue economy at the 4th anniversary of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in New Delhi, Delhi.
- During the event, he announced that Government of India (GoI) is working to increase the seafood exports to Rs 1 lakh crore annually from around Rs 60,000 crore ( recorded in FY24).
Key Participants: Union Minister of State (MoS) George Kurian, MoFAH&D; Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary (Fisheries) of Department of Fisheries (DoF), MoFAH&D; and senior officials from department of fisheries of various states/ Union Territories (UTs),among others and delegation from Embassies of France, Russia, Australia, Norway, and Chile were also present at the event.
About Key Initiatives:
i.NFDP Portal and and PM-MKSSY Guidelines : Union Minister Rajeev Ranjan Singh launched National Fisheries Development Program (NFDP) Portal which will act as a central hub for registry of various stakeholders from fisheries sector, information services, and support related to fisheries,
- The portal has been created under PM-MKSSY, a central sector sub-scheme launched under PMMSY. It will provide digital identities to various stakeholders by creating a registry of fish workers and enterprises engaged in the fisheries value chain across the country.
- NFDP portal offers various benefits such as institutional credit, performance grants, aquaculture, among others.
- He released the operational guidelines for Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY) and also distributed the Registration Certificates to the beneficiaries registered on NFDP platform.
Note: PM-MKSSY aims to formalize the fisheries sector and support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) related to fisheries sector, with total investment of more than Rs 6,000 crore over a period of 4 years i.e. from Financial Year 2023-24 (FY24) to FY27 across all states/ Union Territories (UTs) in India.
ii.SOPs for Fisheries Cluster Development: During the event, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on Production and Processing Clusters under the Fisheries Cluster Development Program was released.
- Also, Union Minister announced the establishment of 3 specialized fisheries production and processing clusters dedicated to: Pearl cultivation, Ornamental fisheries and Seaweed cultivation.
iii.Development of CRCFVs: He also unveiled the guidelines for development of 100 coastal villages across coastal states and UTs into Climate Resilient Coastal Fisherman Villages (CRCFVs).
- The GoI has allocated Rs 200 crore for the development of these coastal villages.
- This initiative will primarily focus on sustainable fishing, infrastructure improvement, and climate-smart livelihoods to ensure food security and socio-economic stability for fishing communities amid climate change.
iv.Drone Technology Pilot Project: A Pilot project on the Use of Drone Technology for fish transportation was launched at the event. It will be done by the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI).
- It aims to explore the potential of drones in tracking and managing inland fisheries which will help to improve efficiency and sustainability in fisheries sector.
v.Setting up of ICAR-CMFRI as CoE: Union Minister also launched the notifications for setting up a Mandapam Regional Centre of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CMFRI) as a Centre of Excellence (CoE) to promote seaweed farming and research.
- CoE will serve as a national hub for innovation and development in seaweed cultivation. It will focus mainly on refining farming techniques, establishing a seed bank, and ensuring sustainable practices.
vi.Nucleus Breeding Centres: During the event, setting up of Nucleus Breeding Centres (NBCs) for both marine and inland species was launched. These NBCs will help in enhancing seed quality through genetic enhancement of economically important species.
- Bhubaneshwar(Odisha)-based ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIFA) has been designated as the Nodal Institute for establishing NBCs for freshwater species.
- While, Mandapam (Tamil Nadu, TN)-based ICAR-CMFRI has been designated as the Nodal Institute for establishing NBCs for marine water fish species.
vii.Notification for Establishment of 3 Incubation Centres: These incubation centres will be established for promoting at least 100 fisheries start-ups, cooperatives, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and Self-Help Groups (SHGs).
- These centres will hosted at prestigious institutions like: the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) in Hyderabad, Telangana; ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE) in Mumbai, Maharashtra; and ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) in Kochi, Kerala.
Other Key Highlights of the event:
i.Union Minister has also released the Booklet on ‘Promotion of Indigenous Species’ and ‘Conservation of State Fish’.
- Among 36 States/ UT, 22 have either adopted or declared their state fish, 3 have declared state aquatic animal and UTs of Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands have declared their state animal, which are marine species.
ii.Priority Projects with total budget outlay of Rs 721.63 crore were announced at the event. These projects included the development of 5 Integrated Aqua Parks in states of: Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh (MP), Tripura, and Nagaland, to support holistic aquaculture growth.
- Also, two World-Class Fish Markets will be established in Arunachal Pradesh (AR) and Assam for enhancing market access.
- Development of 3 Smart and Integrated Fishing Harbors in States/UTs in Gujarat, Puducherry and Daman & Diu, for improving post-harvest management.
- Under the Priority Projects, 800 hectares (ha) of saline area and Integrated Fish Farming will be set up in various states such as: Uttar Pradesh (UP), Rajasthan, ARP, Manipur, Punjab, for promoting aquaculture and integrated fish farming.
Note: On 30th August 2024, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi launched a Vessel Communication & Support System at Palghar district of Maharashtra With an investment of Rs 364 crore.
- 1 lakh transponders will be installed free of cost on fishing vessels to enable them for two-way communication, providing information on potential fishing zones, among others.
About PMMSY:
i.PMMSY was launched by PM Narendra Modi on 10th September,2020 as part of the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ package.
- It is a flagship scheme of GoI, which aims to address critical gaps in fish production, post-harvest infrastructure, traceability, and overall fisher welfare.
ii.The scheme is being implement by Department of Fisheries (DoF), MoFAH&D for period of 5 years i.e. from FY21 to FY25, with an total investment of Rs 20,050 crore.
iii.It is an umbrella scheme with 2 different components i.e. Central Sector Scheme (CS) and Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS).
iv.In Union Budget for FY25, the GoI has allocated Rs 2,352 crore for PMMSY scheme, which is 56% more than the allocation of Rs 15,00 crore for FY23.
About Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying (MoFAH&D):
Union Minister- Rajiv Ranjan Singh(Lalan Singh) (Constituency- Munger, Bihar)
Minister of State (MoS) – S.P. Singh Baghel (Constituency- Agra, Uttar Pradesh, UP); George Kurian (Rajya Sabha- Madhya Pradesh, MP)
