Inland fishworkers of Madhya Pradesh are on the way to assert their rights. Led by Medha Patkar and community leaders around 350 fishworkers from different regions of Narmada river as well the Pench river and Pench forest areas demonstrated before the State Cooperative Federation Office at Bhopal on 5th April 2018. Later in the day a deputation on behalf of fish workers met the the Deputy Director of the Fisheries Federation. Medha Patekar and Rajkumar Singh from Narmada Banchao Andolan, Advocate Aradhana Bhargava from Kishan Sangharsh Samity, Chhindwara, Soumen Ray from National Platform for Small Scale Fishworkers(Inland) along with the leaders of fishworkers from different places like Sardar Sarovar, Indira Sagar, Bargi, Pench, and other places of the State were present in the deputation. A group of the fishworkers cum activists from the downstream of the river Narmada in Baruch, Gujarat also joined. Several fishworkers cum activists explained their problems of fishing for livelihood protection as there are the shortage of Fishes mainly in the larger dams of the State. They claimed that the State policy on the marketing of Fishes from the larger water bodies (more than 100 acres) is the principal cause of the fish deficiency. Government through State Cooperative Federation invited the outsiders (business persons or companies) to bid for the fishing rights in the water bodies.. The bidder got access to the water bodies and caught the whole stock, even the juveniles., which the traditional fishers never used to catch. Fish resources development programmes were not properly executed. The contractors, appointed by the fisheries department or the State Federation never allowed the fish workers to look after the matters. The other basic problem was the lack of maintenance of the reservoirs. Severe silting became a problem to the water bodies. It has also raised that the election of State Cooperative Federation was not held since the year 2000. Replying to the deputation, Mr Majhi, the Deputy Director of the Federation admitted that the election was not held due to several reasons but by appointing the Minister in Charge as Chairman of the Federation it is working perfectly. The appointment of the selling agents is not out of the rule. State Federation is just following the policy adopted by the State authority. Fishworkers demanded to abolish the appointment of contractors in fish selling and to reintroduce the previous system of selling through Cooperative Societies. They also demanded immediate election of the State Federation. Fishworkers from different places like, Indira Sagar, Bargi, of the State asked Soumen Ray to come to their respective places where they are eager to form Trade Unions. On 6th April 2018 a meeting was held with the fishing community leaders under Chhindwara Kishan Sangharsh Samiti. were held. Machhagora dam and Totladoh dam are on Pench river that flows mostly inside the Pench forest. Fishworkers in Chhindwara used to catch the fish in these water bodies. But fishers are not allowed to catch fish in Totladoh and in Pench river as the area has been declared a protected area under the Wildlife Protection Act . The fishers resolved to move against the oppression of forest department. They planned to form their Union to fight for the Rights of the fishworkers. On 8th April a group discussion was held at Khandwa with local activists working with fish workers in Khandwa and Burhanpur districts. It was planned that the activists in each district will go ahead to organize the fish workers to form a Union.