Question : Employment Opportunities in Fisheries Sector

Will the Minister of FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING ??????????, ??????? ?? ????? ?????? be pleased to state:

(a) whether the fisheries sector is recognised as a powerful income and employment generator in the country, if so, the details of employment opportunities and income generated by the fisheries sector in the country particularly in the State of Odisha;

(b) whether the fisheries sector has emerged as an instrument of livelihood for a large section of the economically backward population of the country and if so, the facts thereof and the response of the Government thereon;

(c) whether there has been a need to develop infrastructure and post-harvest management solutions that will enable fishers, fish farmers in creating value addition, value creation and value realization ensuring minimal wastage across the fisheries value chain in the country, if so, the details and the response of the Union Government thereon;

(d) the details of the major policy and scheme implemented by the Government to further expand the income and employment opportunities in the sector; and

(e) the extent to which these policies and schemes are able to double the farmers income?

ANSWER
MINISTER OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING
(SHRI PARSHOTTAM RUPALA)
(a) to (e) : Fisheries and aquaculture sector is recognized as a powerful income and employment generator and occupies an important place in the socio-economic development of the country. The sector provides livelihood to about 28 million fishers and fish farmers at the primary level and more than the twice the number along the value chain. The sector has immense potential to double the fishers and fish farmers’ incomes as envisioned by Government and usher in economic prosperity.
The Department of Fisheries, Government of India during the financial years 2020-21 and 2021-22 has accorded approval to the fisheries development proposals of Government of Odisha at a total cost of Rs.441.55 crore and released an amount of Rs. 98.57 crore to the State Government with an objective to benefit 41,224 fishers, fish farmers, fish vendors and to create employment opportunities to more than 20,000 population in the State in fisheries and aquaculture sector.
The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has taken several initiatives to harness the full potential of the fisheries sector in a sustainable and responsible manner including (i) implementation of Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) - Blue Revolution Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries for a period of 5 years from 2015-16 to 2019-20 with an outlay of Rs 3000 crore, (ii) implementation of a flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) with highest ever investment of Rs.20,050 crore for a period of five years with effect from the financial year 2020-21 to 2024-25 in all States/Union Territories(UTs), (iii) creation and implementation of a dedicated fund namely, Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund’ (FIDF) with a total fund size of Rs.7,522.48 crore for providing concessional finance for creation of fisheries infrastructures, (iv) extending the facility of Kisan Credit Card (KCC) to fisheries farmers to meet their working capital needs. These schemes and programmes aim to increase the incomes of fishers, fish farmers through increased productivity, enhanced price realization, reduction in wastage and reduction in cost of operation by creating brood bank and hatcheries for production of high yielding seeds, improving farm management through training and skill upgradation, upgrading and augmenting market and cold chain infrastructure and enhanced access to low cost working capital.
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