Odisha government introduced a new scheme ‘Fish Pond Yojana’.

Bhubaneswar:27/11/17; In a bid to facilitate additional income to farmers’ community in the state, Odisha government on Monday introduced a new scheme ‘Fish Pond Yojana’.

At Fisheries Ard Dept workshop on ‘Doubling of Farmers’ Income through Dairy & Allied Activities’, Chief MinisterNaveen Patnaik emphasized on the important role of rural economy in the development of the state. Highlights from his address at the event:
• Fish Pond Yojana announced with a budget provision of ₹96 crore from state’s own resources. It will create freshwater aquaculture farming on 2200 hectares with 50% financial assistance to farmers
• Animal Ambulance Service dedicated in cities of Cuttack and Berhampur. With a budget provision of ₹1 core, it will provide emergency transport services for sick and injured animals
• Various fisheries services now made online for enhanced service delivery
• Fisheries & livestock sector major contributors to farmers income with a remarkable growth of 33.35 times in a decade
• Fish production grew from 2.60 lakh tonnes to over 6 lakh tonnes in 17 years while per day milk production grew from 24 lakh litres to 54 lakh litres. Egg production growth also went up by more than 2.5 times

Chief Minister Shri Patnaik congratulated 232 technical new entrants including 56 Veterinary Assistant Surgeons, 158 Livestock Inspectors and 18 Junior Fishery Technical Assistants and urged them to serve the people of Odisha to the best of their abilities.

Attending a workshop on ‘Doubling of Farmers Income Through Dairy and Allied Farming Practices’, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged women SHGs and Fisheries Cooperatives to take advantages of various schemes launched by the State government.

“Various services in the fisheries sector are also being made online today. I would expect an active participation of women SHGs and Fisheries Cooperatives in taking advantages of various schemes launched by my government,” Patnaik said.

The Chief Minister also dedicated Animal Ambulance Service in Berhampur and Cuttack urban areas with a budgetary provision of Rs 1 crore to provide emergency assistance to sick and injured animals.

“As per the latest survey of Government of India, Odisha is the only state in the country to have doubled farmers’ income in real terms over a decade,” said Patnaik adding the contribution from Fisheries and Livestock sectors was reported to have increased significantly – marking a 33.35-time increase during this period.

Livestock and Fisheries sectors play an important role in the development of rural economy in the state and these sectors have a tremendous relevance for the livelihood of small and marginal farmers who derive a substantial part of their income from the sale of milk, meat, egg and fish, he concluded.