Why in the news?

  • The Matsya Shakti Project was inaugurated on August 28,2025.

Matsya Shakti Project

  • What is it?: It is a project to empower fishing community entrepreneurs, under the Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan – PM VIKAS.
  • Implementing Agency: Being jointly implemented by the Ministry of Minority Affairs (lead) & ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).
  • Aim and Focus Area:
    • Empower fishing community entrepreneurs, with an emphasis on women’s leadership and life skills training.
    • Three core training modules:
      • Fish production and aquaculture
      • Women’s leadership and entrepreneurship
      • Adoption of modern fisheries technologies (e.g., cage culture, artificial breeding, oyster and seaweed farming).
  • Beneficiaries & Project Structure:
    • Total Trainees: 690 individuals from minority communities (with inclusion of 15–25% from majority communities).
    • Women-focused training: 420 women trained in leadership & entrepreneurship, enabling them to launch independent ventures.
    • Training includes stipends and handholding support for self‑employment post-completion.
  • Significance:
    • Fosters livelihoods, self-employment, and entrepreneurial capacity within the fisherfolk community.
    • Promotes technology adoption and integration into fisheries value chains.
    • Anchored in the PM VIKAS mission, aligning with broader goals of skill development, enterprise promotion, and minority upliftment.