The Hon’ble Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh Alias Lalan Singh will visit Gangtok and Mangan districts, Sikkim during 2^nd-3^rd November 2026. During the visit, the Hon’ble Union Minister will review fisheries development initiatives, launch the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for organic fish farming, inaugurate projects worth Rs.375 Lakh under PMMSY and interact with fish farmers. The visit is in line with the structured mechanism for periodic visits of Union Ministers to the Northeastern Region, put in place under the guidance of the Hon’ble Prime Minister to support effective implementation of development programmes and obtain field-level feedback. The union minister will distribute Kisan Credit Cards to fish farmers and cheques to fish farmers under Mukhya Mantri Matsya Uthpadhan Yojana (MMMUY).

The Hon’ble Union Minister will also interact with the Fish Farmers’ Cooperative Society during the visit to the Live Fish Vending Centre at Mangshila to understand field-level requirements in fish marketing and cooperative activities, review fisheries development and PMMSY interventions at DAC, Mangan, and take feedback from fisheries stakeholders on implementation issues. These engagements will help assess fisheries development needs in Sikkim, particularly in remote and geographically challenging areas.

The visit will also see participation of senior officers of the Government of Sikkim, District Administration, Mangan, along with representatives of Departments of Fisheries, GoI, relevant line Ministries, Fisheries ICAR institutes, Fish farmers, fisheries cooperative societies and fisheries farmer producer organization

The Northeastern Region, endowed with abundant freshwater resources, diverse aquatic ecosystems and rich biodiversity, holds significant potential for the development of sustainable and high-value fisheries and aquaculture. Leveraging these inherent advantages through certification, robust traceability, aggregation, processing and value addition, together with alignment to global export market requirements, can strengthen export readiness and position the region as a hub for certified organic and premium fishery products. This will facilitate access to domestic and overseas markets, improve value realisation for fish farmers and strengthen livelihoods across the fisheries value chain.

The Government has adopted a cluster-based approach for integrated development of the fisheries value chain, bringing together production, processing, value addition and marketing within identified geographical areas. Under PMMSY, 34 fisheries production and processing clusters have been notified across the country, including organic fisheries clusters in Sikkim and Meghalaya. The approach provides a framework for aggregation, value addition and stronger market linkages, enabling differentiated and high-value fishery products to secure better market access and value realisation for fish farmer.

The visit is expected to provide further impetus to the development of a modern, sustainable and market-oriented fisheries ecosystem in Sikkim and the wider Northeastern Region. By bringing together infrastructure development, organic fisheries, certification and traceability, value addition and stronger market linkages, the initiatives will contribute to higher incomes for fish farmers, enhanced livelihood opportunities and improved access to premium domestic and international markets.

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JP 

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