Kochi: Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying George Kurian on Friday launched the National Marine Fisheries Census (MFC) 2025, urging all fishermen and fish workers to register on the National Fisheries Digital Platform (NFDP) to access financial benefits under central schemes.
The launch event, held at the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) in Kochi, marked the start of the household enumeration phase of the 45-day nationwide exercise. Conducted from November 3 to December 18, the census will cover over 1.2 million fisher households across 4,000 marine fishing villages in nine coastal states and four union territories.
Kurian described the initiative as a milestone in India’s transition to digital and data-driven fisheries governance. “This edition marks the first fully digitised data collection in Indian fisheries history,” he said.
He emphasized that registration on the NFDP is mandatory for availing financial assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY), adding that fishermen can register easily through Common Service Centres (CSCs).
During the event, live field data collection from Maharashtra and Kerala was demonstrated, showcas-ing real-time monitoring through mobile apps—VyAS Bharat and VyAS Sutra. The census is coordinated by the Department of Fisheries, with CMFRI as the nodal agency and the Fishery Survey of India (FSI) as the opera-tional partner.