Mumbai, Oct 27 (PTI) Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Monday inaugurated two 'Deep Sea Fishing Vessels' under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana at Mazgaon Dock here.In his address, Shah said, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this is a significant step towards modernizing India's marine fisheries sector and promoting cooperative-based development in coastal areas.

The Modi government is committed to realizing the vision of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' and strengthening the blue economy by leveraging the potential of the cooperative sector, Shah said.

"The inauguration of the two trawlers today will not only enhance India's capacity to harness the potential of its fisheries wealth in the coming days but also ensure that, through cooperatives, the profits of the fisheries industry reach the homes of our hardworking poor fishermen," he said.

Presently, individuals working on trawlers for fishing are employed on a salary basis, but now, with cooperative-based fishing, the entire profit from the trawlers will reach the homes of every fisherman involved, Shah pointed out.

While 14 such trawlers will be provided initially, the Union government, the Ministry of Cooperation, and the Fisheries Department plan to provide more such trawlers to fishermen on a cooperative basis in coming time, he added.

"These trawlers can stay in deep seas for up to 25 days and carry up to 20 tons of fish. Additionally, there will be larger ships to coordinate operations and transport fish from the sea to the shore. The trawlers are equipped with convenient facilities for living and dining," the Union minister said.

A major scheme is being planned in the coming days for fisherfolk who earn their livelihood along the approximately 11,000-kilometer-long coastline, he said.

He said that the concept of cooperation is that, whether it is milk production, agricultural markets, or fisheries, the profit belongs to the hardworking individual.

"A country truly prospers only when a poor person in a rural area becomes economically empowered. Those who view the country's prosperity solely through the lens of GDP do not understand the social structures of such a vast nation. In a country with a population exceeding 130 crore, mere GDP growth does not make it fully developed," Shah said while urging for a human-centric perspective.

"Without the goal of making every individual and every family prosperous, the nation cannot truly prosper. In the field of fisheries, cooperation is becoming the foundation of the lives of all our brothers and sisters," Shah added.

He mentioned that plans are in place for processing, export, and the deployment of large collection ships in the future.

He said that processing will be done by them, chilling centres will belong to them, and exports will also be facilitated through our multistate export cooperative.

PM Modi has launched numerous programmes for fisheries, which have yielded positive results, he said.

"In 2014-15, India's total fisheries production was 102 lakh tonnes, which has now increased to 195 lakh tonnes. Domestic production was 67 lakh tonnes, which has risen to 147 lakh tonnes. Maritime production has grown from 35 lakh tonnes to 48 lakh tonnes. Freshwater fisheries have seen a 119 percent increase, rising from 67 lakh tonnes to 147 lakh tonnes, while maritime production has increased from 35 lakh tonnes to 48 lakh tonnes," he said.

The Ministry of Cooperation has set a goal to ensure profits reach fisherfolk through a cooperative-based approach, Shah asserted. PTI COR BNM

Cooperative-based fisheries modernization expands deep-sea vessel access and profit-sharing to empower coastal fisherfolk through processing and export support. Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana the government will provision deep-sea fishing vessels and associated logistics to fisher cooperatives so that operating profits, processing facilities, chilling centres and export channels accrue to cooperative members; larger coordinating ships and onboard living facilities are planned to link sea operations to onshore collection and transport.