Fishing and Aquaculture exempted from Lock Down

On April 11, 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs, exempted fishing and aquaculture industries from Lock Down. Earlier, the agricultural activities were exempted.

Highlights

The operations such as harvesting, packaging, processing, cold chain, hatcheries, commercial aquaria, movement of shrimp have been exempted from lock down. However, these industries have been directed to follow hygiene practices and social distancing as noted in the earlier orders of Home Ministry.

Fishing Industry

It is important to exclude fishing industry from the lock down as there are more than 14 million people involved in the industry. Also, the economic benefits from the industry is an important source of revenue for the Indian Government. The Government of India has adopted 370 km of Exclusive Economic Zone in the Indian Ocean to facilitate economic activities in the fishing and aquaculture industries.

According to Economic Survey 2019-20, Indian Fisheries rank third and Indian Aquaculture ranks second in the world. The Indian Fisheries contribute 1.07% of GDP in 2019-20 in the sector. The Fisheries sector earned Rs 334.41 billion in 2019-20.

Month: Current Affairs - April, 2020