Parliament Question: Traditional Fishermen and Fish Farmers in Tamil Nadu

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUE STION No - 1420 ANSWERED ON 28/07/2026 TRADITIONAL FISHERMEN AND FISH FARMERS IN TAMIL NADU 1420. SHRI NAVASKANI K: Will the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying be pleased to state: (a) the details of the initiatives taken by the Government to enhance the livelihood, income and socio-economic welfare of traditional fishermen and fish farmers in Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu during the last three years; (b) the details of financial assistance, subsidies, insurance coverage and livelihood support provided to traditional fishermen and fish farmers in the district under various Central Government schemes; (c) the details of fisheries infrastructure developed in Ramanathapuram district, including fishing harbours, fish landing centres, cold storage facilities, ice plants, fish processing units and aquaculture infrastructure; (d) the number of beneficiaries provided skill development, entrepreneurship training and support for value addition, marketing and modern fishing practices in the district; and (e) the measures taken by the Government to promote sustainable fisheries, deep-sea fishing, mariculture, seaweed cultivation and alternative livelihood opportunities for traditional fishing communities in Ramanathapuram district? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING (SHRI RAJIV RANJAN SINGH ALIAS LALAN SINGH) (a) and (b): The Department of Fisheries, Government of India (DoF, GoI) is implementing various schemes and programs for holistic development of fisheries sector and to enhance the livelihood, income and socio-economic welfare of traditional fishermen and fish farmers in the country including Tamil Nadu, such as Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) (2020-21 to 2024-25), Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (2018-19 to 2025-26), Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah Yojana (2023-24 to 2026-27) and Extension of the facility of the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) to the fishers and fish farmers to meet their working capital requirements. In the state of Tamil Nadu, a project titled "Establishment of Multipurpose Seaweed Park" has been sanctioned under the PMMSY at a total cost of Rs. 127.71 crore, including component of seaweed multiplication in Hub-I Centre at Valamavur in Ramanathapuram District. Under PMMSY and schemes of State Government of Tamil Nadu implemented in Ramanathapuram district in the last three financial years (2023-2026), financial assistance in the form of subsidies, insurance coverage and livelihood support has been provided to traditional fishermen and fish farmers for various activities, as detailed in Annexure I.(c): The details of fisheries infrastructure developed in Ramanathapuram district, including fishing harbours, fish landing centres, cold storage facilities, ice plants, fish processing units and aquaculture infrastructure are provided at Annexure II. (d): The Government organizes various skill development and capacity-building programmes for fishermen and fish farmers to enhance their technical skills, disseminate recent innovations and best practices in the fisheries sector, and promote sustainable livelihood opportunities. These training programmes contribute to the livelihood development and socio-economic upliftment of fisher families. 88 training programs covering about 5599 trainees were conducted in the previous 3 years for fishers and fish farmers in Ramanathapuram district. The details are given in Annexure III. (e): The Government is implementing various schemes to promote sustainable fisheries and enhance the livelihood of traditional fishing communities in Ramanathapuram district. Financial assistance and institutional credit is provided for acquisition of 45 deep-sea tuna fishing vessels. In Ramanthapuram District 13,949 Fishermen and farmers are facilitated with access to institutional credit of Rs. 236.26 crore through the Kisan Credit Card (KCC). Further, mariculture activities such as seaweed cultivation and cage culture are being actively promoted to provide alternative livelihood opportunities for fishers and coastal communities. So far, 19,575 seaweed culture rafts and monolines and 499 cage culture units have been established in different districts of Tamil Nadu including Ramanthapuram under various Government schemes. In addition, skill development and capacity-building programmes are regularly organized on seaweed farming, aquaculture and mariculture practices, value addition of fishery products, dry fish processing, preparation of ready- to-eat fish products, boat driving, marine engine repair and maintenance, net crafting, and recycling of waste fishing nets to enhance the technical skills and income-generating capacity of beneficiaries. *****Annexure-I Statement referred to in reply to part (a) and (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1420 regarding Traditional Fishermen and Fish Farmers in Tamil Nadu put in by Shri Navaskani K, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha for answer on 28th July, 2026. S. No. Project cost Name of the Project Units (Rs. In Crores) 1. Establishment & Operation of Vessel 402 18.01 (for 4997 units) Monitoring System (VMS) 2. Installation of the Turtle Excluder 885 6.29 (for 2613 units) Devices (TED) 3. Establishment of Seaweed culture 2100 1.90 rafts including inputs 4. Establishment of Seaweed culture 60 0.028 with Monoline/tubenet Method including inputs 5. Construction of Biofloc ponds for 13 1.00 Brackish water/Saline/Alkaline areas including inputs 6. Refrigerated vehicles/Insulated 78 1.52 Vehicles/Motor cycle with Ice Box/Cycle with Ice Boxes/Three wheeler with Ice Box including e- rickshaws for fish vending 7. Tuna Fishing Boat Construction 5 4.00 (70% subsidy) 8. Tuna Fishing Boat Construction 10 2.37 (50% subsidy) 9. Establishment of Open Sea cages 80 0.24 10. Backyard ornamental unit 1 0.02 11. Livelihood and nutritional support 1,19,104 84.08 for socio economically backward active traditional fishers’ families for conservation of fisheries resources during fishing ban/lean period 12. Group accident insurance scheme 102 5.10 *****Annexure-II Statement referred to in reply to part-(c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1420 regarding Traditional Fishermen and Fish Farmers in Tamil Nadu put in by Shri Navaskani K, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha for answer on 28th July, 2026. NABARD SCHEMES - Ongoing Projects Year of Project cost S.No Name of the Project Sanction (In Crores) Improvements to the Fish Landing 1 Centre at Thangachimadam in 2024-25 Rs.150.00 Ramanathapuram District Construction of Bait Arch at 2 Roachmanagar Village in 2024-25 Rs.20.00 Ramanathapuram District Improvements to the Fish Landing 3 Centre at Kunthukal in 2024-25 Rs.148.00 Ramanathapuram District Construction of Fish Landing 4 Centre at Pamban North Village in 2024-25 Rs.58.50 Ramanathapuram District NABARD SCHEMES - Completed Projects Construction of Bait Arch at 1 Merkuvadi village in 2025-26 Rs.24.27 Ramanathapuram Distric FIDF SCHEMES - Ongoing Projects Construction of Fish Landing 1 Centre at Thiruppalaikudi in 2025-26 Rs.1.63 Ramanathapuram District Construction of Fish Landing 2 Centre at Nambuthalai in 2025-26 Rs.1.63 Ramanathapuram District Providing Additional Infrastructure Facilities at 3 2025-26 Rs.1.63 Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram District Providing Additional Infrastructure Facilities at 4 2025-26 Rs.0.80 Vaalinokkam in Ramanathapuram District Providing Additional Infrastructure Facilities at 5 2025-26 Rs.0.80 Morepannai in Ramanathapuram DistrictPMMSY SCHEMES - Completed Projects Fabrication and Installation of Artificial Reefs in 75 Locations of 1 10 Fishermen Villages in 2024-25 Rs.23.25 Ramanathapuram – North in Ramanathapuram District Fabrication and Installation of Artificial Reefs in 39 Locations of 4 Fishermen Villages in 2 2024-25 Rs.12.09 Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram District Fabrication and Installation of Artificial Reefs in 9 Locations of 9 3 2024-25 Rs.2.79 Fishermen Villages in Mandapam in Ramanathapuram District Fabrication and Installation of Artificial Reefs in 23 Locations of 4 10 Fishermen Villages in 2024-25 Rs.7.13 Ramanathapuram-South in Ramanathapuram District PMMSY SCHEMES - Ongoing Projects Development of Climate Resilient Coastal Fishermen Village at 1 2024-25 Rs.1.40 Kalimangundu in Ramanathapuram District Development of Climate Resilient Coastal Fishermen Village at 2 2024-25 Rs.1.40 Soliyakudi in Ramanathapuram District Establishment of Multipurpose 3 2023-24 Rs.127.71 seaweed Park in TamilNadu *****Annexure-III Statement referred to in reply to part (d) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1420 regarding Traditional Fishermen and Fish Farmers in Tamil Nadu put in by Shri Navaskani K, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha for answer on 28th July, 2026. S. No. Number of Training Program trainings Number of Trainees (Batches) 1. NFDB Training on seaweed value 23 575 added products and production of seaweed SAP & Fertilizer 2. Community Based Emergency 28 1116 Response Training (First Responder Training on disaster preparedness, emergency response, and first aid) 3. Livelihood of Fishermen (Palk Bay 34 3683 and Gulf of Mannar Districts) on various aspects such as seaweed farming, value added fishery products, boat driving, engine repair and maintenance, dry fish making, ready to eat products, aquaculture and mariculture activities, net craft and waste net recycling 4. Training on Pond Based Seabass 3 225 culture *****