First fully digitised National Marine Fisheries Census 2025 launched

Kochi, Oct 31 (PTI) Union Minister George Kurian on Friday launched the household enumeration phase of the fully digitised National Marine Fisheries Census (MFC) 2025 at the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) here.

Kurian urged all officers and enumerators participating in the census to ensure the registration of all fishers and fish workers on the National Fisheries Digital Platform (NFDP), noting that it is mandatory for availing benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY).

"Only fishermen and fish farmers registered on the portal will be eligible to receive financial assistance from the central government," the union minister of state for fisheries said, adding that registration could be carried out through Common Service Centres (CSCs).

Describing the census as a milestone in India’s digital and data-driven fisheries governance, Kurian said, "This edition marks a major technological shift as the first fully digitised data collection in the history of Indian fisheries." Kurian called upon all state fisheries departments, local bodies, and community organisations to extend full cooperation to make the ‘Smart Census, Smarter Fisheries’ initiative a success.

Following the launch, live field data collection from Maharashtra and Kerala was displayed at the venue, showcasing real-time digital data capture and central monitoring of the process using two mobile applications — VyAS Bharat and VyAS Sutra — developed by CMFRI, a press release said.

The apps enable geo-referenced data collection, instant verification, and seamless transmission to central servers, ensuring accuracy, transparency, and efficiency, CMFRI said According to CMFRI, the 45-day nationwide enumeration will be conducted from November 3 to December 18, covering over 1.2 million fisher households across 4,000 marine fishing villages in 9 coastal states and 4 union territories, with thousands of trained field staff participating.

The exercise is coordinated by the Department of Fisheries (DoF) under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), with CMFRI as the nodal agency and the Fishery Survey of India (FSI) as the operational partner, a press release said.

Economic Advisor to the Ministry of Fisheries, Dr Ajay Srivastava, presided over the function.

Union Fisheries Secretary Dr Abhilaksh Likhi, Joint Secretary Neetu Kumari Prasad, ICAR Assistant Director General Dr Shubdeep Ghosh, CMFRI Director Dr Grinson George, CIFT Director Dr George Ninan, FSI Director General Dr Sreenath K R, Marine Census Principal Investigator Dr J Jaysankar, Dr Somy Kuriakose, and Dr C Ramachandran also spoke.

The event was followed by a national workshop featuring presentations from coastal states and interactions with representatives of fishing communities. PTI TBA TBA KH