What this scheme offers
Launched in September 2020 to bring a "Blue Revolution" to India's fisheries and aquaculture sector, PMMSY supports the entire value chain — from hatcheries and pond/cage culture to cold chain, processing, and market infrastructure. It funds activities like seaweed and ornamental fish cultivation, promotes quality broodstock and seed, and works to cut post-harvest losses from the 20-25% range down toward 10%. A newer sub-scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY, 2023-24 to 2026-27), specifically focuses on formalising the sector — helping fishers and fish farmers access institutional credit, insurance, and organised markets they've traditionally struggled to reach. The scheme also supports safety-at-sea equipment and welfare measures for fishing communities.
Who is eligible
- Fish farmers, fishers, and fisheries entrepreneurs, whether individual or organised as Self-Help Groups, cooperatives, or Fish Farmer Producer Organisations.
- Implemented across all states and UTs, covering both marine (coastal) and inland (pond, reservoir) fisheries.
- Specific project eligibility (subsidy percentage, project type) can vary by state fisheries department guidelines.
Documents required
- Aadhaar card
- Land or water body ownership/lease documents, where applicable to your project
- Bank account details
- Detailed project proposal, for infrastructure or business-linked applications
How to apply
- Contact your State Department of Fisheries to check the current scheme components and application window active in your area.
- Apply online via your state's fisheries portal, or the national PMMSY website (pmmsy.dof.gov.in), where a centralised application option is available.
- Submit your project proposal (for infrastructure/business support) or registration details (for insurance/credit-linkage support) along with required documents.
- Applications are reviewed at the district/state level, with funding released per the scheme's cost-sharing pattern between Centre and State.
- For the PM-MKSSY formalisation component specifically, ask your local fisheries office about registering for credit and insurance access.