Why in News?

• Government has said that the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana envisages to generate direct and indirect employment opportunities to about 55 lakh personnel in fisheries and aquaculture sector by 2024-25.
• Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala said this in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
• He said, the scheme aims to create employment opportunities for fish farmers, fish vendors and entrepreneurs through the implementation of various targeted interventions in fish production, fisheries infrastructure and marketing.

About Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)

• PMMSY is a flagship scheme for focused and sustainable development of the fisheries sector in the country as a part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

It aims to:

• Adopt ‘Cluster or Area-based Approaches’ and create fisheries clusters through backward and forward linkages.
• Focus especially on employment generation activities such as seaweed and ornamental fish cultivation.
• Address critical gaps in fish production and productivity, quality, technology, post-harvest infrastructure and management, modernisation and strengthening of the value chain, traceability, establishing a robust fisheries management framework and fishers’ welfare.
• Consolidate the achievements of the blue revolution and bring new interventions such as fishing vessel insurance, support for new/up-gradation of fishing vessels/boats, integrated aqua parks, e-trading/marketing, etc.

Targets:

• Enhance fish production by an additional 70 lakh tonne and increase fisheries export earnings to Rs.1,00,000 crore by 2024-25.
• Double the incomes of fishers and fish farmers.
• Reduce post-harvest losses from 20-25% to about 10%.
• Generate an additional 55 lakhs direct and indirect gainful employment opportunities in the fisheries sector and allied activities.