SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has received approval for fisheries and aquaculture projects worth Rs 154.57 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), with the Union Government releasing Rs 79.61 crore and reporting utilisation of Rs 63.44 crore, according to data placed before the Lok Sabha.
Ladakh, meanwhile, has been sanctioned projects worth Rs 33.49 crore, of which Rs 12.17 crore has been released and Rs 11.23 crore utilised, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said in its reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1560, answered on July 28.
The Department of Fisheries said the projects approved for Jammu and Kashmir include 751 trout raceways, five trout hatcheries, five fish feed mills, 70 fish kiosks, 66 live fish vending centres, 211 three-wheelers with ice boxes, 21 refrigerated vehicles, 64 biofloc units, eight recirculatory aquaculture system (RAS) units and 18 value-added enterprises.
The PMMSY interventions have also covered 88,225 fishers in Jammu and Kashmir with livelihood and nutritional support, while a Cold Water Fisheries Cluster has been notified in Anant Nag district, according to the Ministry.
In Ladakh, the approved projects include 344 trout raceways, 13 trout hatcheries, two RAS units, four ornamental fish units, 23 fish kiosks, two ice plants/cold storages, two insulated and refrigerated vehicles and 130 scooters with ice boxes. A Cold Water Fisheries Cluster has also been notified in Kargil district.
The figures show that Jammu and Kashmir accounts for the largest allocation among the Union Territories after Puducherry, with its total approved project cost of Rs 154.57 crore exceeding the combined allocations for Ladakh, Delhi and Chandigarh, though Puducherry has the highest approved project cost at Rs 357.19 crore. Jammu and Kashmir’s approved projects also have a central share of Rs 81.43 crore.
Across the Union Territories, the Centre has approved PMMSY projects worth Rs 1,032.66 crore, including a central share of Rs 844.37 crore. Of this, Rs 246.55 crore has been released and Rs 201.57 crore utilised.
Jammu and Kashmir’s Rs 79.61 crore in released funds represents nearly 32 per cent of the total funds released across the Union Territories, while its utilisation of Rs 63.44 crore accounts for nearly 31.5 per cent of the total utilisation. The Union Territory has utilised around 80 per cent of the funds released to it, compared with an overall utilisation rate of about 82 per cent across all the UTs covered by the scheme.
The Ministry said PMMSY, implemented from 2020-21, has approved proposals from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi for development of the fisheries and aquaculture sector.
Among these UTs, Puducherry has the highest approved project cost at Rs 357.19 crore, followed by Andaman and Nicobar Islands at Rs 280.67 crore, Jammu and Kashmir at Rs 154.57 crore, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu at Rs 129.90 crore, Lakshadweep at Rs 71.51 crore, Ladakh at Rs 33.49 crore and Delhi at Rs 5.33 crore.
The Centre said the projects are primarily aimed at increasing fish production, improving fishermen’s income and livelihoods, strengthening fisheries infrastructure, diversifying income sources and improving value chains.
The Ministry further said Chandigarh has not taken up any fisheries development project under PMMSY.
For comparison, the Union Government said Lakshadweep has been approved projects worth Rs 71.51 crore, including 10 ice plants or cold storages, 16 deep-sea fishing vessels, 750 seaweed culture units, 502 communication and tracking device units and nine integrated coastal villages. The UT has received Rs 22.91 crore and utilised Rs 14.42 crore.
In Andaman and Nicobar Islands, projects worth Rs 280.67 crore have been approved, with Rs 20 crore released and Rs 17.07 crore utilised. The approved interventions include six fish hatcheries, 37 ice plants or cold storages, 43.49 hectares of aquaculture ponds, six deep-sea fishing vessels and a Smart and Integrated Fishing Harbour at Mayabandar.
The Ministry said the PMMSY projects across the Union Territories are intended to strengthen fisheries infrastructure, improve value addition and enhance the livelihoods of fishermen, with interventions tailored to the needs of coastal, island and cold-water fisheries regions.
