Govt invites stakeholders' comments on National Fisheries Policy

A 'National Fisheries Policy 2020' has been formulated and placed in the public domain, inviting suggestions from stakeholders, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday.

Minister of State for Fisheries Pratab Chandra Sarangi, in his written reply to the Lok Sabha, said the draft policy provides vision and strategies of the government towards overall and sustainable development of the fisheries sector in the country for the next ten years.

The government has already received comments on the draft policy from about 14 states and Union territories, including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka and Odisha, he said.

The minister said that the draft policy has been translated into 11 vernacular languages and states have been asked to circulate it among stakeholders, including fishermen associations in order to obtain their comments.

The draft policy provides guiding principles, strategies and a roadmap towards holistic development of the fisheries sector in the country.

The minister also said that the government is implementing a flagship scheme "Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)" to bring about the Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of the fisheries sector in India with an investment of Rs 20,050 crore for a period of five years, in effect from the financial year 2020-21.