AMARAVATI, 23 July 2026: The Centre has said 213 women-led coastal fisheries cooperative societies have been established in Andhra Pradesh since April 2021, benefiting 27,447 women engaged in fisheries, seaweed cultivation and marine processing.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Union Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) said the cooperatives were formed between April 1, 2021, and June 15, 2026, covering 12 districts, including Kakinada, under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).

To strengthen women-led fisheries cooperatives nationwide, the Centre is encouraging societies to register on the National Fisheries Digital Platform (NFDP), making them eligible for performance grants of up to ₹2 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PMMKSSY).

Women-led fisheries cooperatives are also being given priority in the issuance of Access Passes for fishing in India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Letters of Authorization (LoA) for high seas fishing.

To encourage greater participation in deep-sea fishing, the government has reduced the application and renewal fee for Letters of Authorization from ₹25,000 to ₹5,000.

As part of its Blue Economy strategy, the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) has prepared an action plan to establish 12,000 fisheries cooperatives across the country, including women-led coastal cooperatives in uncovered villages and panchayats.

In addition, the PM-MKSSY, a sub-scheme of PMMSY, aims to strengthen 5,500 Primary Fisheries Cooperative Societies through mentoring, capacity building and need-based financial assistance, with women-led fisheries cooperatives among the priority beneficiaries.

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