‘Sagar Parikrama Phase IV’ to commence on 18th March

Phase-IV of ‘Sagar Parikrama’ in the state of Karnataka will take place for two days ; covering the stretch of Uttar Kannada on 18th March 2023 and on 19th March 2023 Udupi followed by Dakshan Kannada. Over all 3 locations shall be covered.

Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala, Minister of State for Fisheries, Dairying and Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying & Information and Broadcasting, Dr. L. Murugan, , Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Minister of Fisheries Ports and Inland Water Transport, Government of Karnataka, Minister of Labour, Government of Karnataka, Minister of Social Welfare and Backward classes welfare, Government of Karnataka, District In-charge Minister, Kannada, President City Municipal Council, Karwar, President Uttara Kanada District Fish Marketing Federation, Karwar, Chairman Karnataka State Western Conservation Task force, Bengaluru, Speakers & Members of Legislative Assembly, Member of Legislative Council and Member of Parliament, Shri Jatindra Nath Swain, IAS, Secretary, Fisheries, Government of India. Dr. J. Balaji, IAS Joint Secretary, Fisheries, Government of India, Smt Salma K. Fahlm, IAS Secretary, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, Government of Karnataka and senior officials of Department of Fisheries, Government of India, National Fisheries Development Board, Director of Fisheries, Government of Karnataka, Senior officials from Indian Coast Guard, Fishery Survey of India, Karnataka Maritime Board and fishermen representatives shall take part in the event. The journey shall be accompanied by the State Fisheries officials, Fishermen representatives, Fish-farmers, entrepreneurs, stakeholders, professionals, officials and Scientists from across the nation.

During the event, certificates/sanctions related to Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada scheme, KCC& State Scheme shall be awarded to the progressive fishermen, especially coastal fishermen, fishers and fish farmers, young fishery entrepreneurs etc. Literature on PMMSY scheme, State schemes, e-shram, FIDF, KCC etc. shall be popularised through print media, electronic media, videos, digital campaign through jingles among fishers for wide publicity of schemes. A song on Sagar Parikrama in Kannada shall also be launched.

Sagar Parikrama would enable the Government in devising better policy for improving the quality of life and economic well-being of people of the coastal community especially the marine fishermen in the country. The journey of Sagar Parikrama shall focus on the sustainable balance between the utilization of marine fisheries resources for the food security of the nation and livelihoods of coastal fisher communities and the protection of marine ecosystems, to bridge the various gaps of fisher communities, development of fishing villages, upgradation and creation of infrastructure such as fishing harbours & fish landing centres to ensure sustainable and responsible development through an ecosystem approach.

Karnataka state has 5.74 lakh ha. of freshwater sources consisting of 3.02 lakh ha. of ponds and tanks, 2.72 lakh ha. of reservoirs, 8,000 ha. of brackish water resources and 320 Km coastline with a continental shelf area of 27,000 Sq. Km. The coastal districts of Karnataka, Dakshina Kannada alone contributes 40% of total catch followed by Uttara Kannada (31%) and Udupi (29%). Mangaluru and Malpe fishing harbours are the main contributors in the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts respectively. The state has 9.84 lakh fishers and 729 Fishermen cooperative societies (132- marine and 597- inland).

The fish production from the state contributed about 6.6% of India’s total fish production for the year 2021-22 and ranks 3th position in total fish production, in Marine fish production 5th position and Inland fish production 7th position. Per-capita fish consumption in the state is around 8.08 kg. The contribution of Fisheries Sector to GSDP at current prices during 2011-12 was Rs. 2,723 Crore and it has increased to Rs. 7,827 Crore in 2020-21. Export value of Marine products from Karnataka was 1,20,427 MT worth Rs.1,962.19 crore during 2021-22.

Sagar Parikrama is an evolutionary journey envisaged in the sea across the coastal belt demonstrating solidarity with all fisherfolk, fish farmers and concerned stakeholders as a spirit of 75th Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav saluting our great freedom fighters, sailors, and fishers. It is an initiative by Government of India, aiming to resolve the issues of the fishers and other stakeholders and facilitate their economic upliftment through various fisheries schemes and programs being implemented by the Government of India such as PMMSY, FIDF and KCC for fisheries etc.

To improve the quality of life and economic well-being of people in rural areas and to create more livelihood opportunities, a holistic approach has been adopted by the Government of India to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One such program is Sagar Parikrama which started from Gujarat, Diu & Daman and already completed in Maharashtra state. The remaining states are Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar, and Lakshadweep Islands with an objective to have interaction program with fishermen, fisher communities and stakeholders in these locations in order to know the problems of Coastal Fisher folk.

The journey of “Sagar Parikrama” has started with the theme of “KRANTI se SHANTI” as Phase-I on 5th March 2022 from Mandvi, Gujarat (Memorial of Shyamji Krishna Varma) to Okha-Dwarka, and completed at Porbandar on 6th March 2022 covering 3 locations. The program was a huge success, with more than 5,000 people physically attended, and around 10, 000 people attended the live program through various social media platforms such as Youtube, and Facebook.

Phase-II program from 23rd to 25th September 2022 covered 7 locations from Mangrol, Veraval, Diu, Jafrabad, Surat, Daman & Valsad and interacted with fishermen to know the problems of Coastal Fisher folk. A song on Sagar Parikrama in Gujarati language was launched. More than 20,000 people has physically attended the event and program was live-streamed in various social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook around 15,000 people watched the event. Phase-III ‘Sagar Parikrama’ was started from Surat Hazira Port, Gujarat on 19th February 2023 and covered the coastal areas of northern Maharashtra 5 locations namely Satpati (District Palghar), Vasai, Versova, New Ferry Wharf (Bhaucha Dhakka) &Sasson Dock, and other areas of Mumbai from 20-21 February 2023. The event was successful and more than 13500 people physically attended it. The event was live-streamed on various social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and watched by around 10000 people. During the three Phases of Parikrama 15, locations were covered in states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Diu & Daman UT.

Healthy oceans and seas are essential to human existence and life on Earth. They cover 70 percent of the planet and provide food, energy and water. They providing a massive arena for emerging complex and interconnected development issues such as livelihoods, climate change, commerce, and security. Oceans play a major role in mitigating climate change and improving its impacts. The Indian Ocean is vital to the economies, security, and livelihoods of its coastal states.

The Country has a coastline of 8,118 km, covering 9 maritime States & 4 Union Territories and providing livelihood support to 2.8 million fisher folk. India contributes 8% of the global share of fish production and is ranked as the 3rd largest fish producer in the world. The total fish production of the nation is 162.48 lakh tonnes, of which 121.21 lakh tonnes are from inland and 41.27 lakh tonnes from marine. The value of fisheries exports stood at INR 57,586.48 crores in 2021-22. The sector shows a steady growth rate in GVA accounting for a 6.724 % share of Agriculture GDP and contributing to about 17% of agriculture exports. In India, fishery in general is open access fishery, which is governed by different Acts introduced by the government over the years and regulatory measures.