The Government of India will award the best performing states/districts for the past three years 2019-20 to 2021-22 on the occasion of World Fisheries Day, which will be celebrated at Swami Vivekanand Auditorium, Daman on Monday.

The government will also award Inland, Marine, Hilly and Northeastern region, best district for Inland, Marine, Hilly and Northeastern region, Best Quasi Government Organisation/Federation/Corporation/Board in Inland, Marine, Hilly and Northeastern region. Besides, there will be award felicitations to best Fish Farmer (Inland, Marine and Hilly and NE Region), best Hatchery (Fish, shrimp and Trout Hatchery), best Fisheries Enterprises, best Fisheries Co-operative societies/FPOs/SHGs, best Individual Entrepreneurs, best Innovation idea/Technology Infusion, the Union Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

According to the ministry, the technical sessions in the afternoon will be followed by scientists from ICAR- CIFE on new technology infusions their prospects and problems high intensive aquaculture system, open sea cage culture by ICAR- CMFRI and shrimp culture status and export and domestic market opportunities by MPEDA and sessions by Invest India on scope of investment in fisheries sector in India. Entire proceedings would be live-telecast to have wider outreach, it stated.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May, 2020 had launched the “Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) with a budget of over Rs 20,050 crore for five years foreseeing the potential of the fisheries sector, the ministry stated. PMMSY aims to achieve fish production of 22 MMT from the current 13.76 MMT by 2024-25 and to create an additional employment opportunity to about 55 lakh manpower through this sector and also fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) scheme which was started in 2018-19 with a budget of Rs 7,522.48 crore, it added.

The World Fisheries Day 2022 in Daman aims to create awareness on the importance of healthy ocean ecosystems and sustainable fisheries, the ministry added.

Union Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Parshottam Rupala, MoS for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry Dairying Sanjeev Kumar Balyan and L Murugan and Administrator, UT Administration of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Praful Patel will take part in the event.