The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has implemented comprehensive fisheries development schemes across Odisha, with particular focus on Balasore District. Under the Blue Revolution and Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) schemes from 2014-15 onwards, the central government has approved proposals totaling ₹1,567.96 crore total project cost with a Central share of ₹549.58 crore for fisheries and aquaculture development in Odisha.
Additionally, under the Fisheries and Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF), 13 projects with total cost of ₹784.32 crore and restricted interest subvention of ₹286.39 crore have been approved for Odisha, with 2 projects costing ₹8.26 crore specifically sanctioned for Balasore District. The Odisha government also implements the Mukhyamantri Matsyajibi Kalyan Yojana (MMKY) for statewide fisheries development.
Major Projects in Balasore District
Balasore District has seen significant infrastructure development including the Chandipur Fishing Harbour developed at ₹49.94 crore, a State-of-the-Art Wholesale Fish Market at Basta costing ₹78.20 crore, and development of five Climate Resilient Coastal Fishermen Villages. The district has also benefited from installation of six cold storage/ice plant units, sea cage culture demonstration of Indian pompano at Bahabalpur coast costing ₹2.57 crore, and bringing 107 hectares of brackish-water area under aquaculture. Three finfish hatcheries and one scampi hatchery have been established, with Balasore declared as the Production and Processing Cluster of Scampi.
Financial Allocation and Utilization
Total allocation for Balasore district since 2014-15 under various fisheries development schemes amounts to ₹250.71 crore, with ₹214.45 crore (86%) utilized. The detailed annexure shows year-wise implementation of activities including motorization of traditional crafts, fish transport vehicles, savings-cum-relief schemes, scholarship programs for fishermen children, pond development under various schemes, construction and renovation of fish landing centers, and development of fishing infrastructure.
Major allocations include ₹5,994.00 lakh for Construction of Fishing Harbour at Chandipur (fully utilized), ₹7,820.00 lakh for Construction of State of Art Wholesale Fish Market (₹5,296.00 lakh utilized), and significant investments in brackishwater pond development, cold storage facilities, and modern fishing equipment. The data shows consistent funding across multiple years for core fisheries development activities with generally high utilization rates.