Pb failed to submit proposal due to transfers: Parl panel

Chandigarh: Punjab government’s failure to submit a proposal for the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan (SCSP) component of Pradhan Mantri Matasya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) -- a flagship scheme to promote fisheries sector -- due to “frequent reshuffling of officers” has meant that the state received no funds under the scheme in 2021-22 and 2022-23. This, when the state has a large Scheduled Caste (SC) population and wide scope in undertaking saline aquaculture.
This was highlighted in the report of the parliamentary standing committee on agriculture, animal husbandry and food processing of the ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying tabled in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

When asked about the non-allocation of funds to Punjab, the Centre’s department of fisheries held that PMMSY being a demand-driven scheme, the states have to submit proposals. The department observed: “The problem of Punjab is that the officers are changed a lot there and every new officer takes time to understand the issues.”
The committee was informed that the issue has been taken up with the state secretary. “We have talked to their secretary, so hopefully they will utilise the scheme as Punjab has a lot of scope in saline aquaculture,” reads the report.
The department recommended that the people of Punjab can do cage fishing in rivers and canals as water for 7-8 months, as most of the SC/ST people may not be having much land. “We are advising them to take up cage fishing. We have even offered that it can be on a non-beneficiary-oriented basis. So, we are expecting their proposals.”
The PMMSY aims at inclusive development by providing higher financial assistance to women, SCs and Scheduled Tribes (STs). The objective of the scheme is to harness the potential of fisheries in a sustainable, inclusive and equitable manner by enhancing fish production and productivity with the help of expansion, intensification, diversification and productive utilization of land and water as well as modernizing and strengthening the value chain.
As per the data shared in the report, the ministry allocated Rs 191 crore funds to states/UTs under the SCSP component for 2021-22 and 2022-23. Out of this, Haryana received Rs 4.83 crore and Himachal Pradesh Rs 1.55 crore.