Nagaland seeks fisheries scheme revamp

Y Kikheto Sema with Neitho-o Kuotsu during the Fisheries Secretaries Conference 2025 and National Workshop on Harnessing Technology and Innovation in Aquaculture, held in New Delhi on May 23.

• DIMAPUR — Citing outdated cost norms and structural challenges faced by fish farmers, Nagaland has called for an overhaul of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), the central government’s flagship fisheries scheme.
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An update from DIPR stated that Y Kikheto Sema, Principal Secretary for Law & Justice, Fisheries & Aquatic Resources, made this pitch during the Fisheries Secretaries Conference 2025 and National Workshop on Harnessing Technology and Innovation in Aquaculture held in New Delhi on May 23.

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• “He said that the current funding of INR 8.40 lakh per hectare under PMMSY is outdated and insufficient compared to the latest NPWD Schedule of Rates pegged at INR 25 lakh per hectare.
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• “Highlighting the region’s vulnerability to natural disasters like landslides and floods, he advocated for the reintroduction of provisions for the renovation and reclamation of old ponds and water bodies, which were part of earlier schemes but are missing from the current PMMSY framework,” it stated.
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• Sema urged the Union government to adopt an integrated cluster approach to agriculture and allied sectors to improve productivity and marketability and promote agro-aqua-eco-tourism in rural areas.
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• He further stressed the need for administrative and contingency cost inclusion for effective monitoring, a standard feature in other flagship programmes.
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• “A major point of contention raised was the funding pattern under the scheme. With the existing 60:40 ratio (central: state), many small and marginal fish farmers in the region are unable to contribute their share.
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• “Kikheto proposed a more viable model of 90:10 or 80:20, as applied in other schemes for the Northeast and hilly states,” it stated.
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• Addressing infrastructure concerns, Sema requested the establishment of a modern, hygienic, and state-of-the-art fish market in Dimapur, currently plagued by unorganised and unhygienic conditions.
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• He also urged the central government to direct banks and financial institutions to actively support farmers, entrepreneurs, and cooperatives under PMMSY, overcoming the current reluctance to finance fishery-based initiatives.
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• Union Secretary for Fisheries, MoFAH&D, Dr. Abhilash Likhi, assured that all concerns raised would be considered during the finalisation of the new PMMSY guidelines.
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• Sema was accompanied by Neitho-o Kuotsu, Joint Director of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.