The Chhattisgarh Government has decided to provide a grant on power tariff to a total of 800 fish farmers in the State who are utilising electric tube wells.
At present, these fish farmers are paying commercial rate for power at `3.40 per unit. Now the Government has decided to provide a grant to the fish farmers at the rate of `2.50 per unit.
In the departmental review meeting held here on Monday, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Brijmohan Agrawal approved the proposals for establishing cage culture units in irrigation dams, allotment of lakes through open tender system, right to provide Anicuts and barrages on lease and opening of fish outlets and hygienic markets.
In the meeting, officials informed that fish farming is going on in six lakes in the State after establishing cage culture units. looking to the success of fish keeping with cage culture, it was decided to establish cage culture units in all other ponds also, which would benefit the fishermen of the nearby areas.
The officials further informed that the Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Fisheries Federation has 11 ponds, with a total capacity of 1,000 to 5,000 hectare area. These water bodies are given for fish keeping on royalty basis to the Fishermen Cooperative Societies. But the Federation receives less benefit from it. If they would have been allotted on open tender system, it would generate more income.
The officials said that Anicuts and barrages were constructed at several places on the rivers in the State. In the present situation, under the Nadiya Matsyodyog Adhiniyam, fish keeping in rivers is under control. In this regard, proposal has been prepared for right to give Anicuts and barrages on rivers on lease for fish farming.
At present, a fish outlet is ready at the Directorate of Fisheries located at Telibandha Chowk in Raipur. Fish outlets are near completion at Sector 10 Bhilai and NTPC Sipat. New fish outlets will be opened near Khuntaghat lake, in Bilaspur and Durg, Raipur, Bilaspur and Korea districts. The officers said that proposal has been prepared to open hygienic wholesale fish markets in all the districts of the State.