A fully-digitalised data collection of Indian fisheries, which is the first of its kind in the country, kicked-off in Kochi on Friday.
The household enumeration phase of the National Marine Fisheries Census (MFC) 2025 was launched by the Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, George Kurian, at the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) in Kerala.
The 45-day nationwide enumeration will be carried out from November 3 to December 18, covering over 1.2 million fisher households across 4,000 marine fishing villages in nine coastal states and four union territories.
Describing the marine fisheries census as a landmark in India’s march towards digital and data-driven fisheries governance, Kurian said, “This edition marks a major technological shift as the first fully-digitised data collection in the history of Indian fisheries.”
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He asked the officers and enumerators participating in the census to ensure that all fishermen and fish workers are registered on the National Fisheries Digital Platform (NFDP).
“This is a mandatory requirement to access benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY). Only fishermen and fish farmers who are registered on the portal will be eligible to receive financial assistance from the Central government,” he added.
The registration can be carried out through Common Service Centres (CSCs), he further shared.
Following the official launch, live field data collection from Maharashtra and Kerala was displayed on the screen at the venue, showcasing real-time digital data capture and central monitoring of the enumeration process using two specially-designed mobile applications – VyAS Bharat and VyAS Sutra.
The census is coordinated by the Department of Fisheries (DoF) of the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) with CMFRI as the nodal agency and Fishery Survey of India (FSI) as the operational partner.
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