Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet on Tuesday approved the restructuring of the Odisha Subordinate Fisheries Service Cadre, increasing its sanctioned strength from 445 to 774 posts to strengthen field-level manpower and accelerate fisheries and aquaculture development across the state.
The restructuring will add 329 posts and enhance technical capacity at the grassroots level to support the implementation of fisheries development programmes and improve services for fishers and fish farmers.
Under the revised structure, the number of Senior Fisheries Technical Assistants will increase from 127 to 224, with their pay level upgraded from Level 4 to Level 9. Similarly, the posts of Junior Fisheries Technical Assistants will rise from 318 to 550, with their pay level enhanced from Level 3 to Level 5.
The move is aimed at strengthening field-level interventions across 162 potential blocks covering 3,240 gram panchayats (GPs), with a focus on improving fish production and productivity through block-specific strategies.
Odisha has 7.18 lakh hectares of freshwater resources, 4.18 lakh hectares of brackish water resources and a 575-km-long coastline. The state currently produces around 12.7 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of fish annually.
The cadre restructuring is expected to support the state’s Vision 2036-47 target of increasing annual fish production to 51 lakh MT by 2047 and raising fisheries and seafood exports from around Rs 5,400 crore to Rs 35,000 crore during the same period.
The strengthened technical workforce will also support the implementation of the Odisha Deep Sea Fishing Mission, the proposed Shrimp Mission, reservoir fisheries development and notified guidelines for brackish water aquaculture in areas beyond two km and up to 10 km from the High Tide Line.
The government expects the enhanced field presence to facilitate closer technical guidance, faster delivery of schemes and improved monitoring of fisheries and aquaculture activities, while generating livelihood opportunities and promoting export-oriented growth.
