Empowering Rural Tribal Livelihoods in Sagar Island

Empowering Rural Tribal Livelihoods in Sagar Island

10th February 2025, Barrackpore

Shri Bankim Hazra, Minister of Sundarban Affairs, Government of West Bengal, launched the input distribution programme today, in the presence of Dr B. K. Das, Director, ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore.

Dr Das emphasized that this initiative will significantly benefit the participating fishermen, improving both their income and overall livelihood, while also promoting sustainable agricultural practices such as fish farming.

The Indian Sundarbans are frequently impacted by tropical cyclones and severe tidal surges, which have significantly disrupted the rural economy. Both natural and human-made challenges have shattered the livelihoods of local communities. In response, ICAR-CIFRI has been supporting rural fish farmers through its SCSP & STC development programs, offering crucial technology inputs to help them recover and sustain their fish farming ventures.

Gangasagar, a rural island located where the river Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal, is home to communities that rely on private ponds for both drinking water and fish farming. With this in mind, a community empowerment initiative was designed to improve their livelihoods. The initiative's primary objective is to increase income through backyard fish farming while also ensuring nutritional security by providing protein supplements to local households.

For over a decade, ICAR-CIFRI has been promoting small-scale inland fisheries in rural areas of the Sundarbans. The organization has distributed essential fisheries inputs, including fish seeds, feed, lime, and medicines, to local households. Under the STC program, 240 women fish farmers from 8 Gram Panchayats (GPs) of Sagar Community Development Block, with pond sizes ranging from 0.02 ha to 0.04 ha, have received this support. Additionally, a mass awareness camp was conducted in collaboration with the Sagar Krishnanagar Swami Vivekananda Youth Cultural Society at Gangasagar.

The initiative, praised by the MIC, is the first of its kind in the Sundarbans and has been instrumental in improving the livelihoods of many beneficiaries in the fish culture sector. 

As part of the ongoing effort to boost fisheries development in remote areas, ICAR-CIFRI also inaugurated an FRP Carp Hatchery unit. This new facility is aimed at meeting the region's increasing demand for quality fish seeds, thereby ensuring sustainable fish production and enhancing the livelihoods of local fishers.

(Source: ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore)