Executive Summary:
The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying addresses questions regarding financial support and insurance coverage for fish workers, particularly in West Bengal. The response clarifies the availability of schemes like PMMSY, FIDF, and KCC, and confirms that traditional fishers are not excluded from these. It also details insurance coverage through GAIS, with West Bengal participating in the scheme in 2022-2023.
Key Points / Main Content:
* **Data Availability:** The Government does not maintain specific data on subsidized credit, insurance, and microfinance access at the Parliamentary Constituency or subregional level like Mathurapur and Sundarbans.
* **Scheme Eligibility:** Fish workers in Mathurapur and Sundarbans are eligible for Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF), and Kisan Credit Card (KCC).
* **NFDB's Role:** The National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) facilitates credit-linked interventions under PMMSY and FIDF through interest subvention and credit guarantee mechanisms. NFDB does not maintain disaggregated year-wise data on individual beneficiaries.
* **Inclusion of Traditional Fishers:** Traditional coastal fishers are not excluded from PMMSY or KCC; these schemes are designed to support them through financial inclusion measures.
* **Financial Inclusion Measures:** Prioritized access to institutional credit, insurance, livelihood assistance, and capacity-building initiatives are provided, alongside infrastructure support and value chain development. Guidelines have been issued to States and banks to promote equitable inclusion.
* **Insurance Coverage:** The Group Accident Insurance Scheme (GAIS), implemented through NFDB, provides insurance coverage for registered fishers, including those in disaster-prone areas like the Sundarbans.
* **West Bengal GAIS Participation:** West Bengal participated in GAIS from 26 July 2022 to 25 July 2023, covering 8,499 fishers.
Impact Analysis:
* **Fish Workers (including those in Mathurapur and Sundarbans):**
* Impact: Eligible for financial assistance and insurance through various government schemes (PMMSY, FIDF, KCC, GAIS).
* Action Required: Register under relevant schemes to avail benefits.
* **State Governments and Nodal Loaning Entities (NLEs):**
* Impact: Responsible for executing credit-linked interventions under PMMSY and FIDF with NFDB support.
* Action Required: Implement schemes, promote equitable inclusion, and adhere to issued guidelines.
* **Banks:**
* Impact: Provide institutional credit under schemes like PMMSY and KCC.
* Action Required: Ensure equitable inclusion of traditional fishers and adhere to issued guidelines.
* **National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB):**
* Impact: Facilitates credit-linked interventions and implements the Group Accident Insurance Scheme (GAIS).
* Action Required: Continue supporting State Governments and NLEs in implementing schemes.
Key Entities Referenced
Mathurapur: Lok Sabha Constituency in West Bengal where access to subsidized credit, insurance and microfinance for smallscale fish workers is being assessed.
Sundarbans: A disaster-prone region in West Bengal where the insurance coverage for fishers is being assessed.
West Bengal: State in India where Mathurapur and Sundarbans are located; participated in the Group Accident Insurance Scheme.
National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB): An organization that facilitates credit-linked interventions and implements the Group Accident Insurance Scheme.
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY): A government scheme designed to support small-scale and traditional fishers through targeted financial inclusion measures.
Kisan Credit Card (KCC): A bank-linked scheme that provides credit to farmers, including fishers.
Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF): A fund that supports infrastructure development in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
Group Accident Insurance Scheme (GAIS): A scheme implemented through the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) that provides insurance coverage for registered fishers.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING
DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 247
TO BE ANSWERED ON 22nd JULY, 2025
Fish Workers
247. Shri Bapi Haldar:
Will the Minister of FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING be pleased
to state:
(a) whether the Government has any data on access to subsidized credit, insurance and
microfinance for small-scale fish workers in Lok Sabha Constituency Mathurapur and
Sundarbans in West Bengal;
(b) the number of fishers covered under National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB)
credit schemes during the last three years;
(c) whether traditional coastal fishers are being excluded from bank linked like Pradhan
Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) or Kisan Credit Card (KCC);
(d) whether the Government proposes to include these vulnerable communities under
targeted financial inclusion measures; and
(e) the status of insurance coverage for fishers operating in disaster prone regions like
Sundarbans?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING
(SHRI GEORGE KURIAN)
(a) The Government does not maintain specific data on access to subsidized credit,
insurance, and microfinance at the Parliamentary Constituency or sub-regional level,
including Mathurapur and the Sundarbans in West Bengal. However, fish workers in these
regions are eligible beneficiaries under Government of India schemes such as the
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Fisheries and Aquaculture
Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF), and Kisan Credit Card (KCC).
(b) The National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) does not implement direct credit
schemes. However, it facilitates credit-linked interventions under the Pradhan Mantri
Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure
Development Fund (FIDF), which operate through interest subvention and credit
guarantee mechanisms. These interventions, which inter alia support deep sea fishing
vessels, hatcheries, biofloc units, and cold chain infrastructure, are executed by State
Governments and Nodal Loaning Entities (NLEs) with support from NFDB. The Board
does not maintain disaggregated year-wise data on individual beneficiaries availing credit
through these facilitated mechanisms.(c) and (d): Traditional coastal fishers are not excluded from schemes such as PMMSY
or KCC. In fact, these schemes are specifically designed to support small-scale and
traditional fishers—including vulnerable communities—through targeted financial
inclusion measures. These include prioritized access to institutional credit, insurance,
livelihood assistance, and capacity-building initiatives, alongside infrastructure support
and value chain development. Guidelines have been issued to States and banks to
promote equitable inclusion.
(e) The Group Accident Insurance Scheme (GAIS), implemented through the National
Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), provides insurance coverage for registered
fishers, including those in disaster-prone areas like the Sundarbans. West Bengal
participated in the scheme during the second year of implementation (26 July 2022 to 25
July 2023), during which 8,499 fishers were covered.
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