Govt. working on comprehensive development plan for fisheries sector: Minister

The government is in the process of formulating a major project aimed at the overall upliftment of fishers and the comprehensive development of the fisheries sector, Fisheries Minister V.E. Abdul Gafoor said here on Wednesday.

He also revealed that the Fisheries department will soon launch its own housing scheme. The Minister was speaking after inaugurating the newly constructed multipurpose fisheries centre at Eravipuram South fishing village and handing over the keys to a mobile auto kiosk, both implemented under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).

Addressing the gathering, the Minister said that steps are currently under way to revise the insurance scheme for fishers, which has been a long-standing demand of the community. “The transformation of the coastal region remains the government’s primary goal, and the Fisheries Department is designing various welfare programs to realize this vision,” he said.

Built at a cost of ₹41.30 lakh and equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, the centre at Eravipuram aims to streamline various services and provide essential training programmes for fishers. These sessions will cover sustainable fishing practices, real-time weather alerts, and sea safety guidelines. The initiative falls under the Climate Resilient Coastal Fisherman Village Project of PMMSY, which focuses on strengthening infrastructure in the fisheries sector while enhancing fisher safety, livelihood security, income generation, skill development, and environmental protection.

Under this broader project, which carries a total outlay of ₹202.45 lakh, several key infrastructure components have already been completed at Eravipuram fishing village. These include marine-grade solar mini-mast lights, an emergency rescue boat for sea operations, plastic collection bins, brackish water cage farming units, fish stock enhancement ranching, and portable solar fish dryers.