Tripura Fishery Minister urges Union Minister for timely release of fund

Agartala: Tripura Fishery Minister Sudhangshu Das has urged the Union Minister of Fisheries, Rajiv Ranjan Lallan Singh, for the early release of funds for the overall infrastructure development of fisheries in the state.
 
Das said that since 2021 the Central government has sanctioned projects worth Rs 148 crore under the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana and over the last five years only Rs 58.59 crore has been released. 

Minister Das said this while addressing the recently held North East Regional State Meet 2025 at Guwahati. 

Speaking with Business North East (BNE) the Tripura Minister said that Tripura has around 15,000 hectares of water area that remains unutilized. 

Minister Das mentioned that the annual fish demand in Tripura is 1,16,000 MT, while the state’s own production stands at 83,000 MT, with the remainder sourced from Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and occasionally from Bangladesh.

“If we can utilize this area, the gap we currently face can be addressed. In the meeting I have requested the Union Minister and Secretary of the Ministry of fishery for this matter and informed them that soon we will send a separate proposal on this issue. Whatever schemes we have, we are working tirelessly to implement them,” he said. 

Sudhangshu also sought the early release of funds for the fisheries schemes and said that the fund they are getting from Centre is almost at the end of the year.
“If we receive the funds at the end of the year, it becomes impossible to work on fisheries during the next four months. We then have to wait until October. If the government can release the funds by June, it would be more helpful”.

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He further informed that under the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, the Centre has sanctioned Rs 148 crore, out of which Rs 58.59 crore has been released. 

“From this amount, Rs 42.21 crore has been accounted for through utilization certificates, while Rs 16.31 crore remains unused. Approximately Rs 2.61 crore of this unused fund was surrendered for biofloc and pearl culture, which are not significant in our state. Biofloc requires 24-hour power supply, and as a hilly state, Tripura cannot ensure 24x7 power during the rainy season, making it very challenging. Due to this, we surrendered the funds. We have sent alternative proposals and are seeking their early approval,” he added.