The Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Food Processing has urged the government to ensure that all fishermen across India are registered to avail the benefits of various schemes and policies effectively. The Committee emphasized that comprehensive registration will enable the government to design and implement targeted policies for the fisheries sector more efficiently.
In its third report tabled in Parliament on December 17, the Committee highlighted that out of the 2.8 crore fishers, fish farmers, and other stakeholders in the fisheries value chain, only 8.60 lakh—comprising 8.56 lakh individuals and 3,393 organizations—are registered under the National Fisheries Digital Platform (NFDP).
To address this gap, the Committee recommended proactive measures by the Department of Fisheries to identify and register the remaining unregistered fishermen. “The Department should devise effective initiatives to ensure no stakeholder is left out of the benefits provided by the government,” the report stated.
The report also flagged concerns over under-utilization of funds allocated for the Centrally Sponsored Scheme component of the Department of Fisheries. The Committee noted a declining trend in expenditure since 2021-22, even at the Revised Estimates (RE) stage, pointing to gaps in planning and assessment.
One such instance involved publicity expenditures under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). While the allocated budgets of ₹1 crore in 2020-21 and ₹2.4 crore in 2021-22 were fully utilized, the report revealed a significant shortfall in subsequent years. Out of ₹8 crore allocated in 2022-23, only ₹46.37 lakh was spent, and similarly, ₹50 lakh out of ₹8.51 crore allocated in 2023-24 was utilized.
The Committee called for more effective planning and better utilization of allocated resources to ensure the growth and welfare of the fisheries sector.
Source: The Hindu BusinessLine
