Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala, in his written reply to the Lok Sabha, said, ”Yes, Sir. A Multipurpose Seaweed Park has been proposed in Tamil Nadu to promote the seaweed cultivation under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).” The Tamil Nadu government has submitted a project proposal. The state government has been asked to submit a Detailed Project Report with cost estimates. Further, the minister informed the Lower House that implementation of the PMMSY has commenced during the middle of 2020-21 and the cumulative number of beneficiaries supported under PMMSY so far is 9,42,761. The Centre has approved project proposals worth Rs 5,336.96 crores with a central share of Rs 1,823.50 crores to states and union territories and other implementing agencies.
Out of which, an amount of Rs 1,223.96 crore has been released during 2020-21 and 2021-22 (till date), the minister added. The objective of the PMMSY is to bring about sustainable and responsible development of the fisheries sector in India for a period of five years with effect from the financial year 2020-21 to 2024-25 on all states. The scheme intends to address the critical gaps in fish production and productivity and quality, in the technology being used in post-harvest infrastructure and management, in modernization and strengthening of the value chain, and in establishing a robust fisheries management framework and fishermen’s welfare.
2021, Daily Thanthi.