19th May 2023, Kultali, Sundarbans
ICAR-Central inland fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore Organised Mahila Matasyajibi Sammelan (Women Fishers Meet) at Kultali, Sundarbans, West Bengal in collaboration with Kultali Milantirth Society today. Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Govt. of India and Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research inaugurated the meet as the Chief Guest. Other distinguished guests were Dr. B. K. Das, Director, ICAR-CIFRI, Dr. Gouranga Kar, Director, ICAR-CRIJAF and Dr. D. B. Shakyawar, Director, ICAR-NINFET.
The Chief Guest, Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Secretary (DARE) & Director General (ICAR) said that the rural population of Sundarbans is suffering due to continuous natural disasters like cyclones. He complimented the excellent and exceptional work carried out by ICAR-CIFRI for the livelihood enhancement of women fishers of Sundarbans and for taking technologies to faraway places. Dr. Pathak exhorted that the impact is seen in this Mahila Matasyajeebi Sammelan, where more than four thousand five hundred women fishers are present and ICAR-CIFRI will adopt 500 women fishers under SCSP and STC. He stressed that all the ICAR institutes and Krishi Vigyan Kendra of this region will wholeheartedly support the farmers of Sundarbans in implementing new agricultural technology and livelihood enhancement.
The Director General distributed fisheries inputs like fingerlings, ICAR-CIFRI Cagegrow feed, etc. to 500 SC and ST women fish farmers who have backyard ponds with an average area ranging from 0.02 ha to 0.04 ha in their household. These women beneficiaries have been selected from a vast area covering 38 hamlets under 17 GPs of two Community Development Blocks namely Gosaba and Basanti of Sundarbans.
Dr. B. K. Das, Director, ICAR-CIFRI stressed that in the last 10 years, ICAR-CIFRI has introduced interventions like backyard pond culture, canal fisheries and ornamental fish farming to support the livelihood of the targeted beneficiaries of Gosaba, Hingalgunj, Kochukhali, Amtoli, Gangasagar, Bali Island, Namkhana, Kakdwip, Kultoli of Sundarban. He said Institute has been extending its support to the vulnerable communities of Sundarbans by providing technological inputs for rejuvenating their livelihood through fish farming under the SCSP/STC programme and these interventions have led to alternative livelihood generation of the beneficiaries and their annual income has also been increased significantly.
Dr. Gauranga Kar, Director, ICAR-CRIJAF, Barrackpore and Dr. D. B. Sakyawar, Director, ICAR-NINFET, Kolkata also spoke on the occasion.
More than five thousand fishers including 4500 women fishers participated in the meet.
(Source: ICAR-Central inland fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore)
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