NORTH LAKHIMPUR, March 1 - Blue Revolution, a centrally launched scheme of Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries, the Neel Kranti Mission � through potential utilisation of water resources for fisheries development in a sustainable manner � is facing trouble in Lakhimpur district following alleged political interventions.
According to the guidelines of Central Sector Scheme on Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries, Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries of June, 2016, the scheme is to be implemented by State Governments/Union Territories as nodal departments with 80 per cent funding from the Centre for Northeastern and hill States.
While the State Fishery Department is the nodal agency to implement the Neel Kranti Mission in Assam, the district fishery development offices are supposed to select beneficiaries for the scheme. Named as Ghore Ghore Pukuri (fishery in every household) by the State Fishery Department, beneficiary lists are to be prepared by district fishery development offices for the Rs 70,000 per scheme, where Rs 56,000 will be in the form of subsidy and the remaining Rs 14,000 will be bored by the beneficiary. Any interested person with two bighas of land for a fishery can apply for the Neel Kranti Mission scheme in Assam.
In Lakhimpur, the scheme is to be implemented in a way in which 13 beneficiaries will be selected from each of the four LAC areas of the district. But the alleged role of all the four MLAs from the district in selecting the beneficiaries for the Neel Kranti Mission in Lakhimpur district is creating problems for the fisheries development office.
As the common fishery entrepreneurs are enquiring about the criteria of beneficiaries for the scheme at the district fishery development office in North Lakhimpur, the selection of the beneficiaries by the four MLAs on political grounds are jeopardizing the ambition Central Government�s plan for tapping the full potential of the inland and marine culture fisheries of the country by developing it as a professional modern world class industry, ensuring doubling of income of fishers and fish farmers of the country and ensuring sustainability of, bio-security and address environmental concerns for enabling sustainability of the fishing industry � a sunrise sector of the country.
The Centre has already sanctioned Rs 16.41 crore for Assam to usher in a Blue Revolution under this Neel Kranti Mission.
