Nitesh Rane Orders Speed Up of Chief Minister Matsyasampada Scheme at Mantralaya
Maharashtra Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane directed fisheries department officials to ensure the effective implementation of the Chief Minister Matsyasampada Scheme during a state-level review meeting held at Mantralaya. The minister ordered the launch of extensive awareness campaigns to ensure that welfare benefits reach the maximum number of fishermen across Maharashtra.
To achieve this, Minister Rane instructed regional Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners of the Fisheries Department to organise special taluka-level camps every week. These weekly camps will focus on spreading awareness about various government welfare schemes and increasing the number of beneficiaries. He also stressed the importance of regular monitoring of divisional progress and tasked officials with preparing a concrete action plan to expand the scheme's overall outreach.
The high-level meeting at Mantralaya was attended by several senior officials, including Additional Chief Secretary Ramaswamy N., Fisheries Commissioner Prerna Deshbhratar, and Maharashtra Fisheries Development Corporation Managing Director Prakash Khapale. Regional Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners, and other senior department representatives were also present.
During the session, Rane reviewed the ongoing establishment of regional fisheries training centres under the state scheme. He noted that the process of setting up these training centres in the Pune and Nagpur divisions is currently underway. To avoid delays, he directed officials to expedite all administrative work related to funding, approvals, land allocation, and project proposals.
Additionally, the minister called for accelerated progress on establishing training centres at Vasai in the Mumbai division and Gadchiroli in the Nagpur division. He emphasized the need for timely planning of study tours, which would allow fish farmers in Maharashtra to learn about and benefit from modern fisheries technologies currently being adopted in other states.
Rane also instructed department officials to speed up action on proposals received under the ambitious super-intensive brackish water shrimp farming initiative. The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and model Detailed Project Report (DPR) for this shrimp farming initiative have already been circulated to the relevant departments to guide the process.
