Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY)
🔷 Context and Background
India’s fisheries sector is vast and growing, yet much of it remains informal and fragmented. This restricts access to institutional finance, government support, and modern risk mitigation tools like insurance.
To address this, PM-MKSSY was launched as a targeted sub-scheme under PMMSY, with a sharper focus on formalizing micro and small players in the fisheries value chain.
📝 It reflects a clear policy shift: from production to integration—making small fisheries units a part of the formal economy.
🔸 Quick Snapshot
| Feature | Description |
| 🎯 Purpose | Formalization and support to micro and small enterprises in the fisheries sector |
| 📌 Type | Central Sector Scheme |
| 🔗 Parent Scheme | Sub-scheme of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) |
| 🕒 Duration | FY 2023–24 to 2026–27 |
🎯 Core Objectives
- Formalizing the Unorganised Sector – gradually bring all fisheries actors into a digital, documented framework.
- Improving Access to Institutional Finance – so micro/small enterprises can get loans, subsidies, and working capital.
- Promotion of Aquaculture Insurance – making fish farming financially secure and less risky.
- Improving Value Chain Efficiencies – focus on cold chains, quality, logistics, and market access.
👥 Intended Beneficiaries
This scheme has a wide beneficiary base, targeting not just individuals but collectives and enterprises:
- Individuals: Fishers, Aquaculture Farmers, Fish Workers, Fish Vendors
- Enterprises: Proprietorships, Partnerships, Companies, LLPs, Cooperatives
- Organizations: SHGs, FPOs, Fish FPOs, Federations, Startups
- Any other eligible groups as defined by the Department of Fisheries
🧠 This inclusive approach ensures last-mile coverage and flexibility to include new-age players like startups.
💰 Scheme Funding Structure
| Source | Contribution |
| Public Sector (incl. World Bank & AFD: French Development Agency) | 50% |
| Private Sector (Beneficiary Contribution) | 50% |
💡 This public-private financing model is crucial—it brings in accountability and reduces full dependence on government.
🔑 Key Components of PM-MKSSY
🔹 Component 1-A: Formalization & Finance
- Creation of National Fisheries Digital Platform (NFDP)
➤ A unified IT platform for registration, financial disbursement, scheme tracking
➤ All stakeholders—fishers, vendors, startups—will register here
➤ Platform is central to the “evidence-based governance” idea in fisheries - Facilitating Access to Working Capital Finance for microenterprises
➤ Easy onboarding onto existing GoI credit schemes
🔹 Component 1-B: Aquaculture Insurance Promotion
This is one of the most innovative aspects of PM-MKSSY. Let’s understand it carefully:
📌 Scope
- Insurance support is one-time, for a single crop cycle
- Extra 10% incentive for SC/ST/Women beneficiaries
✅ Support for Small Farms
| Criteria | Details |
| Eligibility | Farms up to 4 hectares |
| Support | 40% of premium cost (max ₹25,000/ha) |
| Cap | ₹1,00,000 per farmer |
💧 Support for Intensive Aquaculture
| Criteria | Details |
| Applicable Units | Intensive aquaculture (excluding cage culture, RAS, biofloc) |
| Max Size | 1800 m³ |
| Support | 40% of premium (up to ₹1,00,000) |
👉 These provisions show a clear push for both inclusivity (support for small farms) and scalability (support for advanced aquaculture).
🔹 Component 2: Value Chain Efficiency
Microenterprises will be supported for improvements like:
- Cold storage and transport
- Hygienic processing and packaging
- Market and digital linkages
🎯 Objective: Higher value realization and reduced wastage.
🔹 Component 3: Safety & Quality Assurance
- Adoption of food safety standards, traceability systems, and certifications
- Expansion of labs, quality monitoring for domestic and export markets
🧪 With rising global export demands, this is a strategic step toward making Indian fisheries globally competitive.
🔹 Component 4: Project Management and Monitoring
- Creation of Project Management Units (PMUs) at various levels
- These will ensure:
- Efficient Implementation
- Real-time Monitoring
- Transparent Reporting
📌 In Summary
PM-MKSSY is a targeted sub-scheme that complements the broader PMMSY mission, but zooms in on:
- Formalization
- Financial access
- Risk management
- Value chain modernization
🧩 Think of PM-MKSSY as the “MSME Booster” for India’s fisheries economy.