Patna, Aug 2026: Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary today reviewed the ‘Vision 2030 – Bihar Fisheries Priority Project’ at the ‘Sankalp’ auditorium located at the Lok Seva Awas. The meeting focused on bringing Bihar among the country’s leading inland fisheries states, increasing fish production in a phased and planned manner, creating employment and income opportunities, and accelerating the blue economy.
Key Highlights
- Eight priority projects will be used to develop specialised fisheries clusters in Siwan, Saran, Munger, Mithila and Motihari.
- A phased increase in fish production will be accompanied by efforts to enhance the skills, production capacity, income and revenue of fisheries cooperative societies.
- Modern technologies and scientific methods will be promoted for better utilisation of available water resources and sustained growth in the incomes of fishing families.
- The eight priority projects propose development of 1,848.75 hectares of direct intervention areas and 9,357 hectares of project impact areas.
- The projects aim to increase fish production to 50,200 metric tonnes.
During the meeting, Secretary of the Dairy, Fisheries and Animal Resources Department Shishir Kapil Ashok gave a presentation on the roadmap prepared under ‘Vision 2030’ for the sustainable development and value addition of Bihar’s fisheries sector.
Under the plan, eight priority projects have been proposed covering 1,848.75 hectares of direct intervention areas and 9,357 hectares of project impact areas. Together, these projects are expected to generate an additional 50,200 metric tonnes of fish production.
The projects are proposed to receive financial assistance through the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) and the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). Along with boosting fish production, the initiative is expected to promote processing, value addition, marketing and employment generation.
Specialised Fisheries Clusters to be Developed
The government plans to establish specialised fisheries clusters based on the potential of different regions.
These include the overall development of the Siwan wetland cluster, production of large quantities of freshwater fish in the Saran scampi cluster, cage culture in the Munger cage cluster, wetland-based fisheries, particularly in the Madhubani region, under the Mithila wetland cluster, and comprehensive development of the Motihari fisheries cluster.
Reviewing the project, Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary directed officials to work rapidly on a comprehensive action plan for the development of fisheries in the state. He called for a clear, phased and project-based strategy to increase fish production.
The Chief Minister stressed the need to make better use of available water resources and promote modern technologies and scientific methods so that growth in fish production is accompanied by a sustained increase in the incomes of fishing families.
He also directed officials to strengthen fisheries cooperative societies and make them more capable and effective. Necessary support should be provided for skill development, enhancement of technical capabilities, better management and increased production so that the economic condition of cooperative members improves and overall revenue rises.
Entire Fisheries Value Chain to be Strengthened
Chief Minister Choudhary said Bihar has enormous potential in the fisheries sector and that the entire value chain—from production to processing, value addition and marketing—must be strengthened.
He said ‘Vision 2030’ would serve as an effective mechanism to increase the incomes of farmers and fishing communities, create new employment opportunities and strengthen Bihar’s rural economy.
The Chief Minister emphasised that the fisheries sector should not be viewed only from the perspective of increasing production. Greater attention must also be paid to processing, value addition, marketing and creating a complete ecosystem around fisheries.
The initiative is expected to provide new opportunities for fishing communities while contributing to the expansion of Bihar’s blue economy.
The meeting was attended by Dairy, Fisheries and Animal Resources Minister Nand Kishore Yadav, Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary Deepak Kumar, Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit, Chief Minister’s Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh, Cooperation Department Secretary Dharmendra Singh, Dairy, Fisheries and Animal Resources Department Secretary Shishir Kapil Ashok, Fisheries Director Tushar Singla and other senior officials.
