The Odisha government has raised serious concerns regarding the non-finalization of state cooperative guidelines, identifying it as a primary bottleneck preventing fish farmers from accessing benefits under major central fisheries schemes. During the recent National Fisheries Secretaries Conference held in New Delhi, the state urged the Ministry of Fisheries to assist in aligning the state framework with national standards to ensure seamless delivery of support to the fishing community.
State officials highlighted that while centrally-sponsored programs offer significant financial and institutional assistance, the lack of updated and operational state cooperative guidelines has created a procedural logjam. This delay has particularly affected fishers’ collectives and primary cooperative societies, who are finding it difficult to avail themselves of the resources intended for them. The state emphasized that these guidelines are vital for defining the governance, financial norms, and operational procedures necessary for cooperatives to act as official implementing agencies.
In its representation to the Centre, the Odisha Fisheries and Animal Resources Development department noted that it is currently working to operationalize new guidelines to better align with the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). These regulations are essential for channelizing subsidies, credit, insurance, and infrastructure support to fishermen, fish farmers, and self-help groups. Without the final notification, the convergence with central schemes remains stalled, affecting the socio-economic development of the inland and marine fisheries sectors.