Page 54 - Mann ki Baat (English)

Warriors of the Sea

Modernising India's Blue Economy

India's relationship with its water resources has always been
integral to its economy and culture. Today, that relationship is being
reimagined — not merely as a matter of sustenance, but as one of
strategic national ambition. Across reservoirs, coasts, and inland
waterways, a quiet but consequential transformation is underway,
driven by policy, technology, and, increasingly, by individual enterprise.
India is the second-largest aquaculture producing country in
the world and among the top fish-exporting nations. The fisheries
and aquaculture sector has exhibited strong growth of about 8% per
year on average, with aquaculture growing at an annual average of
about 11%, accounting for approximately 7.28% of Agricultural GDP.
Recognising the sector's transformative potential, the Government of
India launched the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)
in 2020 — the largest scheme in the history of India's fisheries sector,
implemented with a total investment of ₹20,050 crore over five years
from 2020-21 to 2024-25. Its ambition was clear: to make the fisheries
sector ecologically healthy, economically viable, and socially inclusive.
Five years of PMMSY have turned Intent into Impact delivering record

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