A parliamentary standing committee has criticised the Union government’s flagship welfare support for traditional fisherfolk, saying only about 595,000 beneficiaries, or 2.1 per cent of the country’s estimated 28 million fishers, received financial assistance during the annual fishing ban between 2020 and 2025. The Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing described the performance of the livelihood and nutritional support component under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana as “dismally low”. The scheme is intended to provide income support to fisherfolk during the seasonal fishing ban.

India enforces an annual 61-day fishing ban in coastal waters to protect fish during their peak breeding and spawning periods. The timing of the ban differs between the eastern and western coasts. Under the current PMMSY framework, the Union government provides Rs 3,000 annually for each enrolled beneficiary, while the beneficiary contributes Rs 1,500, taking the total annual assistance to Rs 4,500. The amount is distributed by the respective state governments or Union territories.

The committee said it was “very disheartening” that such a small proportion of fisherfolk had benefited despite the scheme being operational for five years. It also rejected the argument that low coverage was primarily due to fisherfolk not being registered under the scheme. Citing current economic conditions and inflation, the panel recommended increasing the annual financial assistance to at least Rs 10,000 per fisher during the fishing ban and removing the requirement for beneficiaries to make an annual contribution.

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In its action taken report, the fisheries department said a proposal to increase the financial assistance had been prepared for implementation from the 2025-26 financial year. However, the department said implementation would depend on the availability of fiscal space and approval from the competent authority or the Union Cabinet. It did not specify the amount proposed under the revised assistance framework. The committee urged the government to take immediate steps to significantly expand the scheme’s coverage and ensure that more traditional fisherfolk receive support.

The parliamentary panel also raised concerns over the slow development of fisheries infrastructure across the country. India has 1,547 notified fish landing centres, but only 379 have been selected for development as fishing harbours or fish landing centres since 1964. Of these, only 287 had been completed by June 2025. The committee said the pace of infrastructure development needed to improve to meet the requirements of the country’s fishing communities.

The panel noted that existing facilities can accommodate around 148,000 fishing vessels, compared with approximately 238,000 active vessels operating across the country. It described the gap as significant and urged the fisheries department to select more landing centres for modernisation, consider relaxing certain selection criteria and accelerate project implementation. The recommendations come amid the committee’s broader assessment of the government’s efforts to protect fisherfolk livelihoods and strengthen the infrastructure supporting India’s fisheries sector.

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