Bhubaneswar: Odisha government on Tuesday launched a scheme to boost fish production in the state with a budgetary provision of Rs 96 crore.
The 'Fish Pond Yojana' scheme was launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, while inaugurating a workshop on 'Doubling of Farmer Income through Dairy and Allied Farming Practices' here.
"The scheme aims to create additional 2,200 hectare of fresh water aquaculture farming with 50 per cent financial assistance to farmers," Patnaik said. Stating that various services in the fisheries sector are also being made online on Monday , he sought active participation of women self-help groups (WSHGs) and fisheries cooperatives in taking advantage of different schemes launched by the government.
The CM said annual fish production in Odisha has increased from 2.60 lakh tonne to more than 6 lakh tonne in the last 17 years. "Odisha is the only state in the country to have doubled farmers income in real terms over a decade," Patnaik said.