Coop Min Amit Shah to hand over deep-sea fishing vessels to cooperatives in Mumbai

New Delhi, Oct 26 (PTI) Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will distribute state-of-the-art deep-sea fishing vessels to beneficiaries at Mazagon Dock in Mumbai on Monday, marking what the government has termed a "historic milestone" in cooperative-led deep-sea fishing.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and Union Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol will attend the event.

The vessels are being provided under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, with each unit costing Rs 1.2 crore, according to an official statement.

The initiative is jointly funded by the Maharashtra government, the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), and the Union Department of Fisheries.

The programme aims to modernise India's marine fisheries sector and enhance deep-sea fishing capacity through cooperative societies and Farmer Producer Organisations (FFPOs).

A Joint Working Group has been constituted by the Department of Fisheries and the Department of Cooperatives to accelerate cooperative-led deep-sea fishing initiatives.

India's marine fisheries sector has traditionally operated on a modest scale, with fishermen using conventional vessels that typically venture only 40-60 nautical miles from the coastline. This has limited both catch volumes and economic returns.

The new vessels are expected to enable fisheries cooperatives to tap into India's Exclusive Economic Zone and high seas, particularly around Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The initiative could unlock opportunities in high-value fisheries such as tuna, potentially boosting seafood exports and strengthening coastal livelihoods, the statement added.

The government has positioned the programme as part of its push towards self-reliance and strengthening the Blue Economy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Atmanirbhar Bharat vision. PTI LUX TRB