Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah today inaugurated 'Deep Sea Fishing Vessels' under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana at Mazgaon Dock, Mumbai. On this occasion, Maharashtra Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Shri Eknath Shinde and Shri Ajit Pawar, and Union Minister of State for Cooperation Shri Murlidhar Mohol were also present.
In his address, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, this is a significant step towards modernizing India's marine fisheries sector and promoting cooperative-based development in coastal areas.
He said that the Modi government is committed to realizing the vision of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' and strengthening the blue economy by leveraging the potential of the cooperative sector. Shri Amit Shah stated that the inauguration of the two trawlers today will not only enhance India's capacity to harness the potential of its fisheries wealth in the coming days but also ensure that, through cooperatives, the profits of the fisheries industry reach the homes of our hardworking poor fishermen.
Union Minister of Cooperation stated that presently, individuals working on trawlers for fishing are employed on a salary basis, but now, with cooperative-based fishing, the entire profit from the trawlers will reach the homes of every fisherman involved.
Shri Shah said that while 14 such trawlers will be provided initially, the Central Government, the Ministry of Cooperation, and the Fisheries Department plan to provide more such trawlers to fishermen on a cooperative basis in coming time.
He mentioned that these trawlers can stay in deep seas for up to 25 days and carry up to 20 tons of fish. Additionally, there will be larger ships to coordinate operations and transport fish from the sea to the shore. He also noted that the trawlers are equipped with convenient facilities for living and dining.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation stated that a major scheme is being planned in the coming days for the poor brothers and sisters who earn their livelihood by fishing along the approximately 11,000-kilometer-long coastline.
He said that the concept of cooperation is that, whether it is milk production, agricultural markets, or fisheries, the profit belongs to the hardworking individual. A country truly prospers only when a poor person in a rural area becomes economically empowered.
Shri Shah remarked that those who view the country's prosperity solely through the lens of GDP do not understand the social structures of such a vast nation. In a country with a population exceeding 130 crore, mere GDP growth does not make it fully developed; a human-centric perspective must also be incorporated.
Without the goal of making every individual and every family prosperous, the nation cannot truly prosper. Shri Amit Shah stated that in the field of fisheries, cooperation is becoming the foundation of the lives of all our brothers and sisters, and we are moving forward in this direction.
He mentioned that plans are in place for processing, export, and the deployment of large collection ships in the future. He said that processing will be done by them, chilling centers will belong to them, and exports will also be facilitated through our multistate export cooperative.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation stated that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has launched numerous programs for fisheries, which have yielded positive results. In 2014-15, India's total fisheries production was 102 lakh tonnes, which has now increased to 195 lakh tonnes.
Domestic production was 67 lakh tonnes, which has risen to 147 lakh tonnes. Maritime production has grown from 35 lakh tonnes to 48 lakh tonnes. Freshwater fisheries have seen a 119 percent increase, rising from 67 lakh tonnes to 147 lakh tonnes, while maritime production has increased from 35 lakh tonnes to 48 lakh tonnes.
He said that our approximately 11,000-kilometer-long coastline holds immense potential for increasing maritime production. The Ministry of Cooperation has set a goal to harness this potential and ensure that profits reach our fishermen brothers and sisters through a cooperative-based approach.
Shri Amit Shah stated that a country truly prospers only when every family can provide good education to their children, offer a balanced diet, care for the health of the elderly and children, and become self-reliant only then can the nation be considered prosperous.
There is no greater tool than cooperatives to achieve the GDP with human-centric approach. He said that the sugar mills of Maharashtra have made the greatest contribution to enriching the villages of the state. The entire profit from sugar mills goes directly to the farmer's bank account.
Similarly, in Gujarat, millions of women today conduct business worth 80,000 crore through Amul. The entire profit of this 80,000 crore goes to the homes of uneducated women engaged in animal husbandry, and now even graduate and highly educated women are professionally entering the animal husbandry business. This was the vision of our ancestors, and this is the core philosophy of India.