Bhubaneswar: Odisha has received projects worth Rs 1,567.96 crore under the Blue Revolution (BR) and Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) since 2014-15 to strengthen its fisheries and aquaculture sector. As part of the initiative, Baleshwar district has been declared a Production and Processing Cluster for scampi, giving a major boost to aquaculture infrastructure and value addition.
The projects, implemented by the Department of Fisheries (DoF) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, based on proposals from the state government, aim to promote holistic development of the sector. Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh shared the details in the Lok Sabha Tuesday.
The approved projects include Central assistance of Rs 549.58 crore and are aimed at the holistic development of the fisheries and aquaculture sector across the state, including Baleshwar district. In addition, under the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF), 13 projects with a total cost of Rs 784.32 crore and an interest subvention of Rs 286.39 crore have been sanctioned for Odisha. Of these, two projects worth `8.26 crore are being implemented in Baleshwar district.
Major initiatives undertak en in Baleshwar under the Blue Revolution and PMMSY between 2014-15 and 2025-26 include the development of the Chandipur Fishing Harbour at a cost of Rs 49.94 crore, estab lishment of a state-of-the-art wholesale fish market at Basta costing Rs 78.20 crore, develop ment of fi ve Climate Resilient Coastal Fishermen Villages (CRCFVs), installation of six cold storage and ice plant units, and demonstration of sea cage culture of Indian pompano off the Bahabalpur coast at a cost of Rs 2.57 crore. The district has also brought 107 hectares of brackish water area under aquaculture and established three fish hatcheries and one scampi hatchery, further strengthening its aquaculture ecosystem.
Official sources said Rs 250.71 crore has been allocated for fisheries development in Baleshwar under various fisheries development schemes since 2014-15, of which Rs 214.45 crore has already been utilised, reflecting significant progress in developing the district as a major fisheries and scampi production hub. Over the years, the schemes have supported a wide range of activities, including motorisation of traditional fishing crafts, distribution of boat engines and fishing nets, savings-cum-relief assistance for fishermen, scholarships for children of fishing com munities, pond development, biofl oc units, hatcheries, cage culture, fish transport vehicles, cold storage facilities, insulated and refrigerated vehicles, hygienic fish markets, dredging of tidal channels, brackish-water aquaculture, safety equipment for fi shermen, and modern fi sh retail markets.
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