Context

• Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Shri Purushottam Rupala along with Dr. L. Murugan Minister of State participated in the Sagar Parikrama (Phase Ten) program organised at various locations in Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry from 1 January 2024 to 6 January 2024.
• Apart from this he also distributed Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) to the beneficiaries like progressive fishermen, especially coastal fishermen and fish farmers, young fish entrepreneurs, fishermen, aqua farmers and other stakeholders.

Background

• The journey of the first phase of “Sagar Parikrama” started from Mandvi, Gujarat on 5 March 2022 and till now a total of nine phases of Sagar Parikrama have been completed.
• Sagar Parikrama passes through the coastal states/union territories of Gujarat, Daman and Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Andaman and Nicobar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and part of Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh.
• The tenth phase of Sagar Parikrama aims to cover the remaining coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh namely Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla, Krishna, West Godavari, Konaseema, Kakinada, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Yanam (Union Territory of Puducherry).

 Key Points

• A comprehensive overview of the best initiatives taken through the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana under the Sagar Parikrama (Phase 10) program and the Government schemes for the benefit of fishermen like Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) Scheme, Kisan Credit Card (KCC) and Information provided from.
• The event was also attended by state fisheries officers, representatives of fishermen, fish-farmers, entrepreneurs, fishermen cooperative society leaders, professionals, scientists and other stakeholders from across the country.

Objective

• The objective of Sagar Parikrama is to understand the problems of the people and solve them and to improve the living standards of farmers and their economic upliftment.
• During this Sagar Parikrama, fishermen can talk to ministers and senior officials about their problems in their own areas.
• This visit will continuously assist in resolving the issues of fishermen, fish farmers and facilitate their economic upliftment through various fisheries schemes like Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Kisan Credit Card (KCC) and other programs implemented by the Government of India.

 IMPORTANT FACTS FOR EXAM

Initiatives related to fisheries sector

• Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana
• Pak Khadi Yojana
• Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF)