After independence, India faced some hardships in food production, and rice the staple food of most Indians had to be imported from outside to meet demand. Agricultural scientists were able to solve the problem by their innovation called the Green Revolution which was soon followed by the White Revolution. Thus, the country became self-sufficient in foodgrains and milk production. Most of the people in the hill areas are meat-eaters whereas their counterparts in the plain belt are mostly vegetarians who sometimes supplement with fish in their diet. Fishes are abundant in rivers and sea-coasts which easily meet the requirement of people living near such locations and fish is a source of protein essential for health and growth. Meghalaya cannot meet local demand of fish and, therefore, has to import from states like Assam, West Bengal and even as far as Andhra Pradesh. Soon fisheries sector began to attract attention of the local farmers. State government too, with substantial help from the Centre, extends financial assistance to them. Technology plays a vital role in improving fish production.
During the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, the single agency which was quite notable was the Fish Farmers Development Agency (FFDA) with its wide network throughout the country including Meghalaya. During the last decade and a half, freshwater aquaculture popularised fish farming which generated employment opportunities and provided financial assistance to fish farmers. The share between the Centre and states/Union Territories was 75:25. In order to boost production, subsidies were extended for construction of new ponds, reclamation and renovation of ponds and tanks, first-year inputs like fish seeds, fertilisers, manures, establishment of fish seed hatcheries and fish feed mills, etc. For Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and weaker sections, the rate of subsidies was more. Blue Revolution was revitalised soon after the formation of BJP-led NDA government at the Centre when Prime Minister Narendra Modi clearly spelled out new initiatives for increase in farmers’ income. For the first time, the Blue Revolution received greater attention with a substantial budget fund. The words of Prime Minister, “Now the time has come to paint the Blue Revolution with the blue colour of the Ashoka Chakra”, are very inspiring indeed. Accordingly, he launched Matsya Sampada Yojana from Bihar on September 10, 2020 and exhorted fish farmers to exert their selfless energy in increasing fish production by also availing government’s assistance.
The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) aims to highlight the significance of fish sector and to bring about success of the Blue Revolution through sustainable development. Over a period of five years (2020-2025), it is estimated that job opportunities will be about 55 lakh. During the last few years, the number of people whose livelihood depends on this sector has increased to approximately 2.5 crore and the share of India in the global fish production is about 7.6 per cent. These are good signs that the future will be brighter for this sector and hopefully the Blue Revolution will be a grand success.