Loading…
Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh launched fisheries infrastructure projects worth Rs 36.49 crore at Kamarajar Manimadapam, Puducherry on 1 September 2026, alongside a capacity building conclave on cooperative-led seaweed farming under the Blue Economy.
The three projects are the Rs 18.94 crore Fish Landing Centre at Nallavadu, the Rs 15.63 crore upgradation of the Puducherry (Thengaithittu) Fishing Harbour, and the Rs 1.92 crore Advanced Centre for Innovation and Capacity Development in Seaweed Farming at Karaikal.
India's fish production has risen from 95.7 lakh tonnes in 2013-14 to 197.7 lakh tonnes in 2024-25, the Minister said.
The fee for a Letter of Authorization for high-sea fishing has been cut from Rs 25,000 to Rs 5,000, with priority in Access Passes and Letters of Authorization for fisheries cooperatives, women cooperatives and self-help groups.
Karaikal has been notified as a Fishing Harbour Cluster, where a Smart and Integrated Fishing Harbour is being developed at an investment of Rs 119.94 crore; the Centre also committed support for the Rs 67 crore Mahe Fishing Harbour.
Bring about a Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of the fisheries sector - raising production and productivity, modernising the value chain and doubling fishers' incomes.
Key: Launched for 2020-21 to 2024-25 with a total outlay of Rs 20,050 crore (Central share Rs 9,407 crore, State/UT share Rs 4,880 crore, beneficiary contribution Rs 5,763 crore), and since extended to FY 2025-26 on the same design and funding pattern. It funds fishing harbours, fish landing centres, cold chains, seaweed cultivation and the cluster-based approach used at Karaikal.
Formalise the fisheries sector's micro and small enterprises and improve their access to institutional credit, aquaculture insurance and market linkages.
Key: A Central Sector Sub-scheme under PMMSY approved by the Cabinet on 8 February 2024, with an outlay of Rs 6,000 crore for FY 2023-24 to FY 2026-27 - half public finance (including World Bank and AFD external financing) and half anticipated beneficiary and private investment.
Provide concessional finance for creating fisheries infrastructure - fishing harbours, landing centres, cold chains, hatcheries, deep-sea vessels and processing units.
Key: Created in 2018-19 with a corpus of Rs 7,522.48 crore. Loans flow through Nodal Loaning Entities - NABARD, the National Cooperative Development Corporation and scheduled banks - at not less than 5% per annum, with the Department of Fisheries providing interest subvention of up to 3% per annum.
A coastal outreach programme connecting the government directly with fishers and coastal stakeholders to resolve their issues and spread awareness of fisheries schemes.
Key: Phase I was launched on 5 March 2022 from Mandvi in Gujarat's Kutch district and it has since travelled through the coastal States and Union Territories in successive phases.
Online self-learning platform for fish farmers, with species-wise course modules on breeding, seed production and grow-out culture.
Key: A mobile app developed by ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIFA), Bhubaneswar with funding support from the National Fisheries Development Board.
Seaweeds are marine macroalgae grown in shallow coastal waters on rafts, monolines or tube-nets, needing no land, no freshwater, no feed and no fertiliser - which is why it is treated as a low-capital livelihood for coastal women's self-help groups. The species at the centre of Indian commercial farming is Kappaphycus alvarezii, a red seaweed grown mainly along the Tamil Nadu coast (Ramanathapuram, Pudukkottai and Tuticorin districts) for carrageenan, a gelling and thickening agent used in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries; a raft crop runs about 45 days, allowing several harvests a year. Under PMMSY, seaweed promotion is a priority activity, with India's first Multipurpose Seaweed Park approved in Tamil Nadu at about Rs 127.71 crore. The Karaikal centre launched here is a training and innovation facility for exactly this activity.
Simple Analogy: It is farming without a farm - the crop grows on ropes in the sea, and the only inputs are seed material and labour.
Nodal department for fisheries policy, PMMSY, PM-MKSSY, FIDF and the regulation of fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone and the high seas by Indian-flagged vessels.
Autonomous body under the Department of Fisheries that coordinates and funds fisheries development - production, productivity, technology dissemination and training; it funded the Matsya Setu app.
Premier freshwater aquaculture research institute under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research; developer of the Matsya Setu learning platform for fish farmers.
Nodal Loaning Entities for the FIDF, alongside scheduled banks - they extend the concessional loans on which fisheries infrastructure projects are built.
A coastal State's EEZ extends up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline, within which it has sovereign rights over living and non-living resources. The Minister's remarks concern the guidelines and rules for fishing by Indian-flagged vessels inside the EEZ and beyond it on the high seas.
The Central law regulating fishing by foreign vessels in Indian maritime zones; fishing within territorial waters (up to 12 nautical miles) is regulated by State Marine Fishing Regulation Acts, while the Centre regulates the zone beyond.
Administrative instruments through which the Department of Fisheries permits Indian-flagged vessels to fish in the EEZ and high seas; the fee for a Letter of Authorization has been reduced from Rs 25,000 to Rs 5,000, with priority for cooperatives, women cooperatives and self-help groups.
GS Paper 3 > Economy > Agriculture and Allied Sectors, Blue Economy
General Awareness > Government Schemes
General Awareness > Government Schemes and Rural Credit
Fisheries schemes and the Blue Economy appear regularly in Prelims through scheme-outlay and species-based questions.
Sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, livelihoods and jobs while preserving the health of marine ecosystems.
A shore facility where fishing vessels unload the catch, with handling, auction and basic hygiene infrastructure - smaller in scale than a fishing harbour.
A gelling and thickening agent extracted from red seaweeds such as Kappaphycus alvarezii, used in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.
Fish Farmer Producer Organisation - a collective of fish farmers formed to pool access to infrastructure, finance, technology and markets.