PM lays foundation stones for Rs 160-cr fishery projects in Odisha
Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday virtually laid the foundation stones for two fishery projects worth around Rs 160 crore in Odisha. He laid the foundation stones for the fishery projects while launching the Rs 24,000-crore Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PM-DDKY) and a Rs 11,440-crore Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses in Delhi. The fishery projects included a Rs 100-crore integrated aqua park at Basantapur in Sambalpur district and a Rs 59.13-crore fish market at Pandara in Bhubaneswar. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, his deputy K V Singh Deo and others joined the event virtually from a state-level function on OUAT premises here.
Majhi said the fish market project in Bhubaneswar is another important initiative under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). "Of the Rs 59.13 crore, Rs 30 crore will be given by the Centre and remaining amount by the state," the chief minister said. The project will be implemented in collaboration with the state government's Fisheries and Animal Resources Department and the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), and it will directly benefit 143 traders and generate indirect employment for more than 2,000 people, he said. The chief minister said the fish market will meet the demand of consumers in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with the BMC to implement the project and the work will be completed by November 2027, he said. The chief minister said that the integrated aqua park at Hirakud, which will be built over 95.47 acres of government land, will further develop modern fish farming. Of the Rs 100 crore investment to be made in the project, the central government will contribute Rs 60 crore while the remaining Rs 40 crore will be spent by the state government. "This will be the first aqua park project in eastern India. The project, which will be completed by January 2027, will transform Sambalpur into a centre of excellence in modern fish farming," Majhi said.
