Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar to Strengthen Fisheries Industry in Maharashtra

Mumbai : The state has a 720-kilometer coastline and consists of seven maritime districts. Fisheries play a vital role in the state’s economy and employment sector. The government has made significant decisions, such as granting fish farming status to fisheries and forming a special policy committee for this sector. State Fisheries, Forests, and Cultural Affairs Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar emphasized that the primary goal is to strengthen the fisheries industry in Maharashtra and make the state’s fisheries policy the best in the country.

He spoke at the first meeting of the State Fisheries Policy Committee held at the Sahyadri State Guest House on Tuesday (July 23, 2024) evening, with Policy Committee Chairman Ram Naik in attendance.

Minister Mungantiwar expressed that only 15 percent of the state’s fisheries business capacity is currently being utilized. If the full capacity is utilized, Maharashtra will lead the country in this field. He stressed the need for a comprehensive fisheries policy to fully harness this potential.

Freshwater fishing and groundwater fisheries can generate substantial employment and provide food to a large part of the population. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the central government has announced various schemes for freshwater fishing. Minister Mungantiwar noted that to maximize the benefits of these schemes, Maharashtra’s fisheries policy should be formulated as soon as possible. He suggested seeking assistance from the Central Government’s Fisheries Industry Department to overcome any challenges.

Committee Chairman Ram Naik stated that the new fisheries policy for the state will be comprehensive. The committee will ensure fairness across the state and to everyone involved in the fisheries business. Weekly meetings will be held to prepare a draft policy to be submitted to the government promptly. Naik welcomed policy suggestions from MLAs, leaders, fishermen’s organizations, and the general public, urging them to submit written suggestions to the committee.

Present at the Fisheries Policy Committee meeting were Assembly Speaker Adv. Rahul Narvekar, Ministers Uday Samant and Deepak Kesarkar, MLAs Mahesh Baldi, Prashant Thakur, Nitesh Rane, Ashish Jaiswal, Ramesh Patil, Praveen Datke, Rajan Salvi, Rajesh Patil, Bharti Lovekar, Mrs. Manisha Chaudhary, and Geeta Jain, along with Fisheries Commissioner Atul Patne, Managing Director of Fisheries Development Corporation Pankaj Kumar, senior officers of Kandalvan Corporation, and senior Fisheries Department officials.

Various problems and demands related to infrastructure facilities were raised by MLAs and fishermen representatives during the meeting. Chairman Ram Naik assured that all these aspects will be considered in the policy formulation process to devise a suitable policy.