Major boost to traditional small fishing communities

Subhasish Mitra (Wide Angle)

The Centre is implementing the “Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana” (PMMSY) with a massive investment of Rs. 20,050 crore for holistic development of the fisheries sector and welfare of fishers including small scale traditional fishermen.

 

The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, through the PMMSY provides thrust for protecting the interests of traditional and small-scale fishers, fish farmers and fish workers with social, physical and economic security and conduct of their traditional fishing and fisheries related allied activities.

 

The PMMSY supports various beneficiaries including traditional fishermen and fish farmers for taking up fisheries related livelihood activities such as acquisition of boats and nets, communication/tracking devices, providing sea-safety kits, insurance cover to fishers, support for acquisition of deep-sea fishing vessels with modern fishing equipment, alternative livelihood activities like seaweed culture, bivalve culture, ornamental fisheries, open sea cage culture etc.

 

Further, PMMSY supports the traditional fishers for adoption of new fish culture technologies like Re-Circulatory Aquaculture System, Biofloc system, training & skill development along with support towards construction of cold-chain chain infrastructure and marketing facilities.

 

It provides livelihood and nutritional support for socio-economically backward traditional fisher’s families during the fishing ban/lean period.

 

The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying during the last four financial years (FY 2020-21 to FY2023-24) and current financial year (2024-25), under the PMMSY, has accorded approvals to the proposals worth Rs. 4969.62 crore with a central share of Rs. 1823.58 crore for development of small fishing communities, traditional fishers and other stakeholders including livelihood support, according to Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh.

 

To promote climate resilient aquaculture, the PMMSY supports climate resilient mariculture activities like seaweed and bivalve cultivation, open sea cage culture, installation of artificial reefs, sea ranching, promotes integrated fish farming and others to minimise environmental impacts mainly on traditional and small scale fishers and proposals worth Rs.115.78 crore have been approved for this purpose.

 

Further, the Department of Fisheries, Government of India has sanctioned for acquisition of 480 deep sea fishing vessels for traditional fishermen, up-gradation of 1338 existing fishing vessels for export competency at an outlay of Rs.769.64 crore for promoting livelihood of traditional fishermen.

 

Under the PMMSY financial assistance has also been provided for livelihood and nutritional support to 5.94 lakh annually for the traditional and socio-economically backward active marine and inland fishermen families during the fishing ban period, and also insurance coverage to 131.13 lakh fishers.

 

The Government of India accords paramount importance to the safety of fishermen at sea, the minister informed the Rajya Sabha recently. Besides providing communication/tracking devices and sea-safety kits to fishermen, a specific project on fitment of one lakh transponders onboard the fishing vessels at a total cost of Rs.364 crore has been rolled out under PMMSY with the facility of two way communication to send short messages during any emergency, provides alert in case of cyclone or natural calamities and also alerts to fishermen during maritime boundary crossing.

 

To create livelihood opportunities and required infrastructure facilities in coastal villages situated in close proximity of coastline, a project on Development of 100 coastal villages as Climate Resilient Coastal Fishermen Villages has been taken up with a budget allocation of Rs.200 crore.

 

Besides, financial assistance is provided under the PMMSY for setting up of Fish Farmers Producer Organisations (FFPOs) to economically empower the fishers and fish farmers and enhance their bargaining power. The Department of Fisheries, Government of India during the last four years has accorded approvals for setting up of a total of 2195 FFPOs comprising formation of 2000 existing fisheries cooperatives as FFPOs and 195 new FFPOs at a total project cost of Rs.544.85 crore under PMMSY.

 

The Government of India with effect from 2018-19 has also extended the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) facility to fishers and fish farmers to meet their working capital requirements and so far a total of 2.54 lakh KCCs with loan amount of Rs.2,121.29 crore have been issued to fishers and fish farmers.