Bhubaneswar: Vice President of India, C.P. Radhakrishnan, will arrive in Odisha on Thursday for a one-day visit. He will launch the ambitious “Odisha Deep Sea Fishing Mission” and distribute authorization letters to fishermen for sustainable fishing in deep sea and international waters.
The programme, organised by the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, will be held at OUAT Agricultural Education Sadan in Bhubaneswar. The Vice President will formally hand over authorization letters to fishermen, fish entrepreneurs, fishing vessel owners, and Fishery Cooperative Societies.
Under the new initiative, Odisha’s fishermen, who are currently restricted to fishing within 12 nautical miles (23 km) from the shore, will now be allowed to venture up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) into the deep sea. Authorised vessels will also be permitted to fish in international waters beyond this limit. This is expected to significantly boost their income and strengthen the state’s blue economy.
The event will be attended by Governor Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel, Odisha Fisheries Minister Gokulanand Mallick, MP Aparajita Sarangi, MP Sukant Panigrahi, MLA Prashant Kumar Jagdeb, and other dignitaries. Around 1,000 fishermen, fisherfolk, and fish entrepreneurs are expected to participate.
The Central Government is placing strong emphasis on strengthening Fishery Producer Organizations and cooperatives, along with full digitization of processes to ensure transparency. All authorizations will be issued online.
The Odisha Deep Sea Fishing Mission (2026–2036) is a flagship programme of the Odisha Government aimed at transforming the state into a major hub for deep-sea fishing and seafood exports. It will provide modern fishing equipment, technical support, and strong market linkages to fishermen.
Odisha has a 575-km coastline and currently produces around 2.4 lakh metric tonnes of marine fish annually. Nearly five lakh fishermen depend on the Bay of Bengal for their livelihood. With rich untapped resources of tuna, billfish, squid, deep-sea shrimp and other high-value species lying beyond traditional fishing zones, this mission is expected to bring a major boost to marine fish production and fishermen’s earnings.
