Introduction

Fisheries sector plays an important role in the Indian economy. It contributes to the national income, exports, food and nutritional security as well as employment generation. Fisheries sector is recognized as the ‘Sunrise Sector’ and is instrumental in sustaining livelihoods of around 30 million people in India particularly that of the marginalized and vulnerable communities.

With record fish production of 175.45 lakh tons in FY 2022-23, India is the third largest fish producing country in the world accounting for 8% of global production and contributing about 1.09% to the country’s Gross Value Added (GVA) and over 6.724% to the agricultural GVA. The sector has immense potential to grow hence calls for focused attention through policy and financial support for sustainable, responsible, inclusive and equitable growth.

Schemes and Programs

1. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)

The Cabinet on 20^th May 2020 approved the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) with the highest ever total investment of Rs 20,050 crore comprising of (i) Central share of Rs 9,407 crore (ii) State share of Rs 4,880 crore and (iii) Beneficiaries contribution of Rs 5,763 crore. PMMSY was launched by the Prime Minister on 10^th September 2020 as part of the COVID-19 Relief Package (AatmaNirbhar Bharat package) of the Government of India for implementation in 5 years from FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25 in all States/Union Territories.

The Administrative Approval and the Operational Guidelines of PMMSY were issued to all the States/UTs on 12^th June 2020 and 24^th June 2020 respectively by the Department.

During 2020-21, proposals from thirty-four (34) States/UTs (except West Bengal, Chandigarh) and other organizations have been approved at a total cost of Rs 2,876.33 crore (Rs 2,746.86 crore under CSS and Rs129.47 crore under CS) with a central share of Rs 1,084.72 crore (Rs 955.25 crore under CSS and Rs 129.47 crore CS).

During 2021-22, proposals from thirty-four (34) States/UTs (except West Bengal, Chandigarh) and other organizations have been approved at a total cost of Rs 4,353.81 crore (Rs 3,614.29 crore under CSS and Rs 739.52 crore under CS) with a central share of Rs 1,662.36 crore (Rs 1,292.38 crore under CSS and Rs 369.98 crore CS).

During 2022-23, proposals from thirty-three (33) States/UTs for developmental projects and other organizations have been approved at a total project cost of Rs 7,424.53 crore (Rs 6,706.07 crore under CSS and Rs 718.46 crore CS) with a central share of Rs 3,392.74 crore (Rs 2,674.28 crore under CSS and Rs 718.46 crore under CS).

During 2023-24, till date, proposals from thirty-three (33) States/UTs and other organizations have been approved at a total cost of Rs 2,872.56 crore (Rs 2,868.01 crore under CSS and Rs 4.55 crore under CS) with a central share of Rs 1,068.50 crore (Rs 1,063.95 crore under CSS and Rs 4.55 crore CS).

Physical Achievements under PMMSY (since 2020-21 till date)

1. Inland Fisheries: 44,408 Nos of cages, 20,849.41 hectares of pond area for inland aquaculture, 11,940 Re-circulatory Aquaculture Systems (RAS), 3,995 Biofloc units, 2,855.59 hectares of pond area for Inland Saline-alkaline culture, 788 fish and 4 scampi hatcheries, 543.7 hectares pens in reservoirs and other water-bodies and 14 brood banks have been approved.
2. Marine Fisheries: 2,255 Bio-toilets in mechanized fishing vessels, 1,518 of open sea cage for fish culture,1,172 up-gradation of existing fishing vessels, 1,380.86 hectares of pond area for brackish water aquaculture, 463 deep sea fishing vessel, 17 brackish water hatcheries and 5 Small Marine finfish hatcheries have been approved.
3. Fishermen Welfare: 6,498 replacement boats and nets for fishermen, livelihood and nutritional support for 5,97,709 fishers’ families during fishing ban/lean period and 79 extension and support services (Matsya Seva Kendras) have been approved.
4. Fisheries Infrastructure: 26,067 units of fish transportation facilities namely motor cycles (10,397), bicycles with ice box (9,282), auto rickshaws (3,775), insulated trucks (1,261), live fish vending centres (1,048), fish feed mill/plants (942), ice plant/cold storages (575) and refrigerated vehicles (304). Additionally, 6,733 total units of fish retail markets (188) and fish kiosks including ornamental kiosks (6,545) and 108 value added enterprise units have been sanctioned.
5. Aquatic Health Management: 17 disease diagnostic centre and quality testing labs, 29 mobile centres and testing labs and 5 aquatic referral labs have been approved.
6. Ornamental Fisheries: 2,153 ornamental fish rearing units and 163 Integrated Ornamental fish units (breeding and rearing) have been approved.
7. Seaweed Cultivation: 46,095 rafts and 66,330 monoline tube net approved.
8. Development of North East Regions: Total Project cost of Rs 1,391.62 crore have been approved with a central share of Rs 744.86 crore. This includes 5,954.39 ha Construction of new ponds, 3,784.11 ha area for Integrated Fish Farming, 556 Ornamental Fisheries units, 440 Biofloc units, 218 hatcheries, 146 Re-circulatory Aquaculture System (RAS) and 140 feed mills have been approved.
9. Other Important Activities: 2,494 Sagar Mitras and 79 Matsya Seva Kendras approved.

2. Implementation of FIDF

In order to address the infrastructure requirement for fisheries sector, the Department of Fisheries created dedicated fund namely Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) during 2018-19 with a total funds size of Rs 7,522.48 crore. FIDF provides concessional finance to the Eligible Entities (EEs), including States/UTs and State entities for development of identified fisheries infrastructure facilities through Nodal Loaning Entities (NLEs) namely (i) National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), (ii) National Cooperatives Development Corporation (NCDC) and (iii) All scheduled Banks.

Under FIDF, Department of Fisheries provides interest subvention up to 3% per annum for providing the concessional finance by the NLEs at the interest rate not lower than 5% per annum. Loan lending period under FIDF is five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23 and maximum repayment period of 12 years inclusive of moratorium of 2 years on repayment of principal. 121 proposals to the tune of Rs 5588.63 crore with project cost restricted for interest subvention of Rs 3738.19 crore have been recommended to various States/UTs including the proposals of private beneficiaries.

 These proposals have been received from a total of 18 States/UTs namely Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

3. Kisan Credit Card (KCC)

Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme was extended by the Government of India (GoI) in the 2018-19 to fisheries and animal husbandry farmers to help them meet their working capital requirements. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the guidelines on KCC to fishers and fish farmers on 4^th February 2019. Subsequently, to streamline the process of credit delivery through KCC to the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries farmers, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)/Guidelines was issued in consultation with the stakeholders including Ministry of AHDF, RBI, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural development (NABARD) and Indian Bank’s Association (IBA).

A special drive for mobilization of KCC applications was organized from 1st June to 31st December 2020 by DoF. Followed by a Nationwide campaign launched on 15^th November 2021 to 31st July 2022 under the leadership of Minister of Fisheries, AHD. “Nationwide AHDF KCC Campaign” was resumed 15^th September 2022 till 15^th March 2023 and is now continuing from 1st May 2023 till 31st March 2024. Special KCC campaigns were also organized during Sagar Parikrama program in coastal districts. Additionally, progress on KCC uptake is being monitored on Kisan Rin Portal under the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra across India. Through these consistent efforts a total of 3,24,404 KCC applications have been received of which 1,70,647 KCCs have been issued.

Budget Announcements

a. Announcement of new sub-scheme named Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY, 2023-24): Central Sector Sub-scheme under PMMSY with targeted investment of INR 6,000 crore has been introduced to further enable activities for fishermen, fish vendors and micro & small enterprises. PM-MKSSY envisages to focus on gradual formalization of the unorganized fisheries sector including digital inclusion, facilitating access to institutional financing especially working capital, providing one-time incentive to beneficiaries for opting aquaculture insurance, incentivizing fisheries and aquaculture microenterprises for fisheries sector value-chain efficiencies, incentivizing micro and small enterprises for establishment of supply chains of safe fish products to consumers, additional incentive to the applicants for creation and maintenance of jobs for women in the fisheries sector etc. The sub-scheme has been approved by the Expenditure Finance Committee and awaits approval of the final Cabinet Note.

b. Announcement of Seaweed Park in Tamil Nadu (2022-23)

Detailed Project Report (DPR) on establishment of Multipurpose Seaweed Park in Tamil Nadu has been approved with a total investment of Rs 127.71 crore under PMMSY. The project has been planned in a hub and spoke model that aims at supplying high-quality seaweed planting materials to seaweed farmers, product innovation lab to develop new product lines, testing facility for quality testing of water and seaweed products, along with single window support for entrepreneurs and processors.

c. Announcement of Development of 5 Major Fishing harbours as hub of economic activities (2021-22)

As per the union budget announcement in FY 2021-22, development of 5 Major fishing harbours (Chennai, Kochi, Paradip, Petuaghat and Visakhapatnam) is being undertaken at a total cost of Rs 518.68 crore with the central share of Rs 199.75 crore.

Key initiatives/ Highlights

1. Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India launched the 3rd phase of ‘Sagar Parikrama’ on 19th February from Surat in Gujarat, that continued towards the coastal areas of northern Maharashtra namely, Satpati, Vasai, Versova, Sasson Dock, and other areas of Mumbai. The event was led by Shri Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, and Dr L. Murugan, Minister of State for Fisheries, AH and Dairying in the presence of Shri Jatindra Nath Swain, IAS, Secretary (Fisheries) land other dignitaries.
2. Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, and National Fisheries Development Board along with the Department of Fisheries, Government of Karnataka, Government of Goa, Indian Coast Guard, Fishery Survey of India, and fishermen representatives organised Sagar Parikrama Phase IV from 17th March 2023 in Mormugao Port, Goa to 18th March 2023 in coastal belt of Uttar Kannada of Karnataka State. It covered the areas of 3 major coastal districts namely, Majali, Karwar, Belambara, Manki and covered other areas such as Murudeshwar, Alvekodi.
3. Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying led the Phase V of the Sagar Parikrama initiative. Starting from Raigad, Maharashtra on 17th May 2023 and ending in Canacona, Goa in 19th May 2023, the journey aimed to address the challenges faced by fishers and stakeholders while uplifting their economic prospects through various fisheries departmental schemes and programs.
4. Sagar Parikrama Phase VI journey covered the areas in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands from 29th – 30th May 2023 covering locations like Kodiyaghat, Port Blair, Panighat Fish landing center, VK Pur Fish Lending Center, Hutbay, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island etc. Led by Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri. Parshottam Rupala, the event was also graced by presence of senior officials of UT Administration of Andaman & Nicobar, Department of Fisheries, Govt of India, National Fisheries Development Board, RGCA and MPEDA, Indian Coast Guard, Fishery Survey of India and fishermen representatives.
5. Sagar Parikrama Yatra Phase VII started from 8th June 2023 from Madakkara, Kerala covered Pallikkara, Bekal, Kanhangadu, Kasaragode, Mahe (Puducherry), Kozhikode district on 9th June 2023, Thrissur district of Kerala on 10th June 2023, Cochin on 11th June 2023 and concluded at Trivandrum on 12th June 2023 by covering entire coastal regions of Kerala. This thus concluded the first part of Sagar Parikrama launched on 5th March 2022 from Mandvi, Gujarat (Sagar Parikrama–Phase I) covering key areas on the west coast of the country.
6. The second part of Sagar Parikrama aimed to cover the East coast of the country and thus Phase VIII of Sagar Parikrama led by Union Minister, Shri Parshottam Rupala resumed from Vizhinjam, Kerala on 31st August 2023 to cover the eastern coastal states of the country in subsequent phases. The event organized during 31st August to 2nd September 2023 from Kanyakumari to Ramanathapuram covering 4 coastal districts (Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, and Ramanathapuram) of Tamil Nadu. Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Shri Parshottam Rupala laid the Foundation Stone for the Multi-Purpose Seaweed Park in Tamil Nadu.
7. Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Shri Parshottam Rupala along with Minister of State Dr. L. Murugan launched Sagar Parikrama Phase IX on 7th October 2023 at Thondi, Ramnad District of Tamil Nadu.Union Minister and other dignitaries visited and graced the events with their presence covering eight coastal districts of Tamil Nadu namely Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Cuddalore, Viluppuram, Chengalpattu, Chennai and at Karaikal and Puducherry.
8. Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala launched Sagar Parikrama Phase X on 13^th October 2023 wherein Union Minister travelled onboard Coast Guard Ship from Chennai to enter into coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and interacted with the fishers and stakeholders of the fisheries sector. The event concluded on 14th October 2023 with visits to Krishnapatnam and Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. 
9. To strengthen and enhance the global footprint, Global fisheries Conference India 2023 was organised on 21st – 22nd November 2023 in Gujarat Science City, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The event led by Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Shri Parshottam Rupala, and in its first edition, the event was instrumental in getting varied stakeholders together on one platform and facilitate dialogues and discussions for way forward and internal and international collaboration. The conference featured a comprehensive agenda, comprising of a grand inaugural session, an international round table, five technical sessions, five industry connections, and five Government-to-Government (G2G), Government-to-Business (G2B) and Business-to-Business (B2B) sessions. The two-day conference witnessed an impressive footfall of approximately 14,000 physical and virtual participants, brought together a diverse array of dignitaries and stakeholders including 10 foreign missions from different countries, representatives from international organisations, state fisheries ministers, scientists, policy makers, state officials, fisheries universities and institutes, fisheries communities, investment bankers, SHGs, FFPOs etc.
10. Department of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, Government of India, celebrated the National Fish Farmer’s Day, commemorating the remarkable achievements of the Indian Fisheries sector. The Department organised the ‘Summer Meet 2023’ and the ‘Start-up Conclave’ in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, from 10th – 11th July 2023. The event served as a platform to highlight the noteworthy accomplishments of the Indian fisheries sector and foster innovation and entrepreneurship in the industry. Around 10,500 fish farmers, aquapreneurs, fisher folks, professionals, officials, and scientists from across the nation participated in the event, around 50 stalls were exhibited during the event covering various aspects of fish farming, aquaculture, and related technologies, Fisheries Start-Ups Award Ceremony and a virtual interaction with fishermen/fisherwomen was also organised.
11. Officials of Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, GoI and NFDB, Hyderabad participated in the 1st meeting of “G-20 Agriculture Working Group” held at Indore from 13th-15th February 2023 and showcased the development in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector. Representative from Russian Federation, Australia, Spain, Indonesia, Nigeria, Oman and United Arab Emirates visited the Department of Fisheries’ stall. Officials participated in technical theme-wise sessions on “food security and nutrition”, “sustainable agriculture with climate smart approach”, “inclusive agricultural value chains and food systems”, and “digitalization for agricultural transformation”.
12. Officials of Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, GoI and NFDB, Hyderabad participated in the Food Festival organised by Chandigarh Administration held on 29th March 2023 during the 2nd Agriculture Deputies Meeting (ADM) of the Agriculture Group under India’s G20 Presidency in consultation with Chandigarh Administration. The stall displayed fish and seafoods products including ready to eat, value added and various frozen shrimp products that was visited by ~200 people.
13. Officials of Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, GoI and NFDB, Hyderabad participated in G20 Agriculture Ministers’ meet. The inaugural session was led by Minister of State (Agri & Farmers Welfare), Shri Kailash Choudhary. The themes of the G20 Agriculture Ministers’ meeting held in Hyderabad from 15th – 17th June 2023 were ‘Sustainable agriculture for nutritional food’, ‘Role of women in farming expansion and agriculture’ in connection with biodiversity. Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Kailash Choudhary, & Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Director General- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Mr. QU Dongyu and other dignitaries visited Department of Fisheries stalls on Day-2 of the G20 Agriculture Ministers’ meeting in Hyderabad and interacted with the officials. Additionally, Shri J. N. Swain, IAS, Secretary, Dept of Fisheries and other esteemed dignitaries led the panel discussion on ‘Sustaining Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services for Food Security’ on Day 2 of G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting at Hyderabad.
14. Shri Parshottam Rupala, Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India launched an android-based mobile app “Report Fish Disease” on 28th June 2023 in presence of Dr. L. Murugan, Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri J.N. Swain, Secretary, Department of Fisheries, MoFAH&D, Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Officer on Special Duty, MoFAH&D and Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Secretary, DARE & DG, ICAR, New Delhi. Contributing to the vision of “Digital India”, the ‘Report Fish Disease’ has been developed by ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR), Lucknow and launched today under the National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases. The innovative app can be used by the farmers to report disease cases in finfish, shrimps, and molluscs on their farms to the field level-officers and fish health experts and get scientific advice for quickly addressing the disease problem on their farms. The app is a central platform for connecting fish farmers, field-level officers, and fish health experts.
15. Dept of Fisheries participated in World Food India event held from 3rd to 5th Nov 2023 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi as a Partner Ministry. Department of Fisheries’ stall was arranged in a dedicated space and the Department officials led a technical session on “Global Food & Nutritional Security through Fisheries and Aquaculture” on 3rd November 2023.
16. Department of Fisheries celebrated International Day of Yoga on 21^st June 2023.  The event was organized at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi wherein Officers/Officials of this Department participated with great enthusiasm. Yoga Instructors administered yoga for the participants.
17. Department of Fisheries participated in the Special Campaign 3.0 (2^nd to 31^st October 2023) with full enthusiasm and zeal to make the office greener and cleaner by disposing of unwanted things/items. Various activities carried out by the Department of Fisheries and its sub-ordinate offices. More than 13,000 files/old documents reviewed and more 6,500 files/old documents weeded out during the campaign.
18. Department of Fisheries participated in Swachhata Pakhwada during the period 16^th September 2023 – 2^nd October 2023. ‘Swachhata Hi Sewa’ was organised at the FISHCOPFED Office at Sarita Vihar, New Delhi wherein all Officers of this Department participated in the shramdan activities. More than 35 sites were undertaken for cleanliness by DoF and its sub-ordinate offices during the campaign.
19. Department of Fisheries observed the National Unity Day on 31^st October 2023.  The “Run for Unity” programme was organised under the leadership of Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying on 31st October 2023 from Krishi Bhawan to Hyderabad House. All employees participated in the Run with great enthusiasm.  
20. The meeting of the Joint Hindi Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying was held on 8th November 2023, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The meeting was presided over by Dr. L. Murugan, Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Information & Broadcasting. During the detailed discussion on the agenda, the non-official members of the committee presented their suggestions and ideas for the further development of the official language. Ms. Alka Upadhyay, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy and Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary, Department of Fisheries, through their address expressed their views on the work of official language in the Ministry and assured that the suggestions received from non-official members will be implemented effectively