Thiruvananthapuram, March 4 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Minority Affairs George Kurian on Wednesday said the Centre’s Matsya Shakti project would play a transformative role in empowering coastal minority communities through structured skill development and fisheries-based livelihood support.

He was inaugurating a training-cum-awareness programme under the initiative at the Vizhinjam Regional Centre of the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).

The project, implemented under the flagship Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) scheme of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, marks a significant capacity-building intervention in the fisheries sector.

Launching the new phase of structured training and awareness activities, the Minister presented certificates to candidates who completed the first phase of the programme, which began last year at the Vizhinjam centre.

He said Matsya Shakti aims to benefit 690 individuals, making it one of the largest targeted skill development initiatives for minority fisher communities in the district.

Under the programme, 90 participants are undergoing a 40-day intensive course to become hatchery production workers.

The curriculum covers broodstock management, artificial breeding, larval rearing, feed and water quality management, hatchery hygiene, and biosecurity protocols.

Another 180 beneficiaries will receive hands-on training in cage culture fish farming, with emphasis on sustainable mariculture practices.

A key component of the initiative focuses on women’s empowerment, with 420 women slated to undergo exclusive leadership development training.

The modules include communication skills, financial literacy, entrepreneurship development, awareness of government schemes, and collective action strategies.

Interacting with trainees, Kurian urged them to leverage the programme to become entrepreneurs and community leaders capable of generating employment locally.

He also distributed fish seeds of Giant Trevally, a high-value edible species, and Bluefin Watchman Goby, an ornamental fish, to farmers, and released brochures detailing their cultivation potential.

The Minister later visited the hatchery and other research facilities at the Vizhinjam centre.

Senior scientists of CMFRI highlighted the institute’s role in supporting technology-driven fisheries development aligned with inclusive growth objectives.

–IANS

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