Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh and West Bengal Chief Minister Co-Chair High-Level Review to Advance Fisheries and Aquaculture Development
Distilled Policy Brief
- Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari co-chaired a high-level review meeting to develop fisheries and aquaculture in West Bengal, announcing administrative approval for 6 reservoir development projects costing 83.25 crore rupees with a central share of 49.95 crore rupees.
- West Bengal is India's second-largest fish producer with a production of 25.43 lakh metric tonnes in 2025-26, currently exporting about 5,000 crore rupees of fish products which has the potential to scale up to 15,000–20,000 crore rupees through aquaculture expansion in regions like the Sundarbans.
🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points
West Bengal is India's second-largest fish producer, and key high-value species include Black Tiger shrimp, mud crab, Hilsa, and ornamental fish, with initiatives like PMMSY and National Fisheries Digital Platform (NFDP) driving sector growth.
⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages
Analyze the potential of blue economy and cooperative federalism in leveraging coastal states like West Bengal to boost India's fisheries exports and enhance fishermen's welfare.
🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill
With reference to the recent review meeting on fisheries and aquaculture development in West Bengal, consider the following statements: 1. West Bengal is currently India's second-largest fish producer. 2. The central government provided administrative approval for reservoir development projects where the entire cost is borne exclusively by the state government without any central share. 3. The state's current fish product export value has the potential to scale up through aquaculture expansion in regions like the Sundarbans. Which of the statements given above are correct?
- [A] 1 and 2 only
- [B] 1 and 3 only
- [C] 2 and 3 only
- [D] 1, 2 and 3
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
Statement 1 is correct as West Bengal is India's second-largest fish producer. Statement 2 is incorrect because the central government provided administrative approval for 6 reservoir development projects costing 83.25 crore rupees with a specific central share of 49.95 crore rupees. Statement 3 is correct since the state's current fish product exports of about 5,000 crore rupees have the potential to scale up to 15,000–20,000 crore rupees through aquaculture expansion in regions like the Sundarbans.
🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)
Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.