PM Modi lays foundation for Rs 160-crore fishery projects in Odisha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually laid the foundation for Rs 160-crore fishery projects in Odisha, including a Rs 100-crore aqua park in Sambalpur and a Rs 59.13-crore fish market in Bhubaneswar, aiming to modernize fish farming and create employment

Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday virtually laid the foundation stones for two fishery projects worth around Rs 160 crore in Odisha. He laid the foundation stones for the fishery projects while launching the Rs 24,000-crore Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PM-DDKY) and a Rs 11,440-crore Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses in Delhi.

The fishery projects included a Rs 100-crore integrated aqua park at Basantapur in Sambalpur district and a Rs 59.13-crore fish market at Pandara in Bhubaneswar. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, his deputy K V Singh Deo, and others joined the event virtually from a state-level function on OUAT premises.

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Majhi said the fish market project in Bhubaneswar is another important initiative under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). “Of the Rs 59.13 crore, Rs 30 crore will be given by the Centre and the remaining amount by the state,” the Chief Minister said.

The project will be implemented in collaboration with the State government’s Fisheries and Animal Resources Department and the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), and it will directly benefit 143 traders and generate indirect employment for more than 2,000 people, he said.

The Chief Minister said the fish market will meet the demand of consumers in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. A memorandum of understanding has been signed with the BMC to implement the project, and the work will be completed by November 2027, he said.

The Chief Minister said that the integrated aqua park at Hirakud, which will be built over 95.47 acres of government land, will further develop modern fish farming. Of the Rs 100 crore investment to be made in the project, the central government will contribute Rs 60 crore, while the remaining Rs 40 crore will be spent by the State government.

“This will be the first aqua park project in eastern India. The project, which will be completed by January 2027, will transform Sambalpur into a centre of excellence in modern fish farming,” Majhi said.

Majhi said PM-DDKY is being implemented in 100 districts across the nation, including four in Odisha — Kandhamal, Malkangiri, Sundergarh, and Nuapada. The chief minister said that the Modi government has been implementing new initiatives for farmers since it came to power in 2014.

“In the last 11 years, our country has become self-reliant in many fields. The country needs to become self-reliant in the production of major food grains, oilseeds, and pulses. Even today, our country is dependent on foreign countries for pulses and edible oil. We have to reduce this dependency,” the Chief Minister said.

Majhi also highlighted the state BJP government’s initiatives in the last 15 months. He said the implementation of PM-DDKY and Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses will bring prosperity to the farmers.

The Chief Minister said that through this scheme, Odisha’s farmers will not depend only on paddy cultivation, but can also diversify to cultivate pulses, oilseeds, and other cash crops and earn more money. Singh Deo said Odisha has already become self-reliant in rice production, and the time has come to achieve it in pulses and oilseeds as well.