The Hon'ble Minister of Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, and Veterinary Services Department Shri. Lok Nath Sharma had addressed a press conference on the recent developmental initiatives in the fisheries sector at his office at Tashiling Secretariat yesterday on 23rd August 2021.
The Minister urged the media fraternity to create wider awareness about the newly designed e-portal for the fish farmers of Sikkim. The newly launched Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMSY) e-portal, pmmsy.sikkim.gov.in will facilitate aspiring fish farmers to submit online applications for various fish farming schemes of the government. After the request of the applicant, the designated officials will conduct the field verification within one month, and accordingly, the Directorate of Fisheries will provide the benefits available to the interested applicants on the basis of the field feasibility report. He said that the e-portal provides subsidies through online application, scrutiny, verification of documents, issuance of work orders, and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
The Minister also shared the vision and plan to make the state self-reliant in terms of the production of indigenous species, especially related to the high demand for freshly cultured trout and carp fish and its export to neighbouring states. He said that two Fish Farmer Producer Organizations/Companies (FFPO/C) have been formed at Regu in the East district and Sribadam in the West district. Highlighting the benefits of the formation of FFPOs, the Minister mentioned that the organization would cater to several benefits such as subsidized credit, transport vehicle, processing unit, cold chain, and other related essential components like Farmer Producer Organization (FPO), in which the beneficiary various Are getting. Benefits after its formation in agriculture and horticulture sectors, he said.
He appealed to the interested farmers to come forward to adopt fisheries and said that the government is always ready to provide a scheme of intensive carp farming to 150 beneficiaries and a scheme of trout culture in the raceway to 160 beneficiaries, under which each Eligible interested applicant will be benefitted by the financial assistance of one lakh twenty thousand rupees in three instalments, technical assistance as well as necessary inputs like fodder, seeds, etc.
The Minister also informed that at present a total of 363 fishermen of the State of Sikkim have been registered under NFDB-PMSY-Group Accident Insurance Scheme (GAIS). Under this scheme, fish farmers will be benefited from Rs. 25,000 in case of accidental hospitalization. 2, 50,000 against permanent partial disability, and 5 lakh against death or permanent complete disability.
Shri Sharma also shared that the Directorate of Fisheries has recently successfully connected the electricity supply to Sikkim's first Trout Farm cum Hatchery Center after 46 years of its establishment at Memencho Lake and is working towards strengthening the fisheries sector in Sikkim. This initiative was also marked as a historical milestone in the history of Sikkim.
Minister also urged the interested fish farmers to read the recently published training manual on Trout and Carp fisheries. He also highlighted the financial incentives notified under Mukhyamantri Krishi Atmanirbhar Yojana and Mukhyamantri Pashupalan Samridhi Yojana. The allocated amount can be adequately utilized when farmers come forward to take advantage of it. In addition, he expressed the inevitable dependence of human society on agriculture, horticulture, and livestock farming and stressed the need to strengthen these sectors to adopt a common goal of a self-reliant state.