Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for important fishery infrastructure projects including development, upgradation and modernization of fishing harbours, fish landing centers and construction of fish markets. He inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects in Palghar, Maharashtra. The projects include the inauguration and laying the foundation stone of 218 fisheries projects worth around Rs 1,560 crore, an official release said.
PM Modi also launched the national rollout of the Vessel Communication and Support system at a cost of around Rs 360 crore and handed out transponder sets and Kisan Credit Cards to fishermen beneficiaries. The Prime Minister emphasized that the fishermen community of India are the most important partner when it comes to ocean-related opportunities.
Recalling his conversation with the beneficiaries of the PM Matsya Sampada scheme, the Prime Minister highlighted the transformation of the sector in the last 10 years owing to government schemes and its spirit of service. Noting that India is the second-largest fish-producing country in the world, the Prime Minister pointed out that in 2014, 80 lakh tonnes of fish were produced in the country compared to 170 lakh tonnes of fish today. “Fish production has doubled in just 10 years,” he pointed out.
He also stated India's growing seafood exports and gave the example of shrimp export worth more than Rs 40,000 crore today compared to less than Rs 20,000 crore ten years ago. “Shrimp export has also more than doubled today,” he added, crediting its success to the Blue Revolution Scheme which helped in creating lakhs of new employment opportunities.
Throwing light on the government’s efforts to boost women's participation in the fisheries sector, the Prime Minister mentioned assisting thousands of women under PM Matsya Sampada Yojna. He spoke about advanced technologies and satellites and mentioned the launch of the Vessel Communication System today which will become a blessing for the fishermen community.
The PM declared that the government plans to install 1 lakh transponders on vessels used by fishermen to establish uninterrupted connectivity with their families, boat owners, fisheries department and coast guards. This will help fishermen communicate in times of emergency, cyclones or any untoward incidents through the help of satellites. “It is the government’s priority to save lives during any emergency,” he said.
The Prime Minister informed that more than 110 fishing ports and landing centres are being built for the safe return of fishermen's vessels. Giving examples of cold chain, processing facilities, loan schemes for boats and PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, the Prime Minister said that the government is paying more attention to the development of coastal villages while fishermen government organizations are also being strengthened.
The Prime Minister stated that the present government has always worked for those belonging to the backward classes and gave opportunities to the deprived, whereas the policies formed by previous governments always held the fishermen and tribal community at the margins with not even a single department for the welfare of tribal communities in such large tribal-dominated areas in the country.
“It is our government which created separate ministries for both fishermen and tribal communities. Today, the neglected tribal areas are availing benefits of PM JanMan Yojana and our tribal and fishermen communities are making a huge contribution towards the development of our country,” Modi remarked.
