Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Shri Parshottam Rupala along with MoS Dr. L Murugan will participate in the Sagar Parikrama Phase- XII event being organized during 10^th January 2024 to 11^th January 2024 at various locations of West Bengal. Union Minister Shri Parshottam Rupala will felicitate the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) beneficiaries and other stakeholders during the event to progressive fishermen, particularly coastal fishermen and fish farmers, young fisheries entrepreneurs etc. Best practices and initiatives taken through Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme, KCC and other schemes will be widely disseminated to fishermen.

Sagar Parikrama Phase-XII will cover the coastal regions of West Bengal namely Digha, Shankarpur Fishing Harbour, Sultanpur Fishing Harbour at Diamond Harbour, Ganga Sagar. Senior officials from Department of Fisheries, Government of India and Government of West Bengal, National Fisheries Development Board, Indian Coast Guard, Fishery Survey of India, fishermen association and other dignitaries will also participate in the Sagar Parikrama Phase- XII event.

The Sagar Parikrama Yatra includes review sessions and interactions with fishermen, fish farmers and other key stakeholders. Campaigns for KCC and other events will take place throughout West Bengal coastal regions. The activities will be attended by state fisheries officials, fishermen representatives, fish farmers, entrepreneurs, leaders of fishermen cooperative societies, professionals, scientists, and other stakeholders from all around the nation.

West Bengal is endowed with six agro- climatic regions with diverse aquatic resources with more than eight lakh hectare of inland water bodies and a coastline of 158 km. There is great diversity in fishery sector from cold water to marine and everything in between (inland, brackish water, wetland).

The journey of first phase of “Sagar Parikrama” started from Mandvi, Gujarat on 5^th March 2022 and so far, the total eleven phases of Sagar Parikrama have been covered in the coastal States/UTs of Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Andaman & Nicobar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Odisha.

Sagar Parikrama improves people's quality of life and economic well-being by acknowledging their challenges and provides a good opportunity for fishermen to interact with government officials right on their doorstep. Sagar Parikrama will continue to assist fishermen and fish farmers in resolving their concerns and facilitating their economic upliftment through various fisheries schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Kisan Credit Card (KCC), and other programmes conducted by the Government of India.

The fishing industry is regarded as a rising star, with enormous potential for fostering inclusive growth through economic empowerment of the fisher folk. The Government of India took Sagar Parikrama Yatra initiative to better understand the issues, experiences, and aspirations of fishermen, as well as to understand the circumstances in fishing villages and highlight the schemes available to fishermen in coastal areas. The eleven phases of the Sagar Parikrama Yatra represent a significant journey over numerous coastal regions, confronting varied hardships and encountering distinct cultures.

*****

SK/SS/SM