New Fisheries Policy | 25 Nov 2022

Why In News?

In the meeting of the Council of Ministers held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on November 24, 2022, the amendment was approved in the new fisheries policy of Chhattisgarh state keeping in mind the interests of fishermen.

Key Points

• In order to preserve the demand and interests of the fishermen community, the new fisheries policy has decided to lease out ponds and reservoirs instead of auctioning them for fish farming and give priority to the people of hereditary-traditional fishermen community.
• Provision has been made to connect more and more fishermen with livelihood by reducing the water area allocation limit of ponds and irrigation reservoirs by 50 percent.
• Reducing the allocated water area limit condition from the value per member will double the number of fish farmers benefited.
• According to the revised new fisheries policy, ponds and irrigation reservoirs for fisheries will no longer be auctioned, but will be given on a 10-year lease.
• In the allotment of pond and reservoir, priority will be given to Dhimar, Nishad, Kenwat, Kahar, Kahra, Mallah's fishermen group and fisheries cooperative society in general area and Scheduled Tribe fishermen group and fisheries cooperative society in scheduled tribe notified area.
• Fisherman means a person who earns his livelihood, fishing, fishing or fish seed production, under which priority is proposed to be given to hereditary-traditional Dhivar (Dhimar), Nishad (Kenwat), Kahar, Kahra, Mallah.
• Similarly, fishermen groups and fisheries cooperative societies or fishermen individuals will be allotted half a hectare of water area instead of a maximum of one hectare in case of rural pond and two hectares of water area per member/per person in place of four hectares in case of irrigation reservoir.
• Till now, the audit of the committees formed for fisheries was done only by the Cooperative Department. Now in the revised new fisheries policy, the responsibility of joint team audit of cooperation and fisheries department has been given.
• Under the three-tier panchayat system, the gram panchayat will have the right to allot ponds and irrigation reservoirs of zero to 10 hectare average water area on lease for 10 years.
• District Panchayat more than 10 hectare and up to 100 hectare, District Panchayat more than 100 hectare and up to 200 hectare average water area, fishery department lease more than 200 hectare and 1000 hectare average water area reservoir, barrage to fishermen group and fisheries cooperative society But will give
• All the water areas under the urban body will be under the urban body, which will be allotted on lease for 10 years as per the policy of the government.