KARGIL, APRIL11, 2021: Director Animal and Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries Ladakh Dr Muhammad Raza Abbassi on Saturday visited Drass to take stock of the trout rearing units of Fisheries Department in private sector constructed under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes including RKVY/Blue Revolution. 

Assistant Director (AD) Fisheries Kargil Murtaza Ali, Deputy Registrar Cooperatives Kargil Dr Zakir Hussain besides other concerned officers accompanied the Director during the tour. 

During the course of the tour, the Director Fisheries inquired from the officers concerned about selection of sites for construction of privates ponds under Prime Minister Matsya Sampada Yojna (PMMSY) envisaged for sustainable development aiming at achieving exclusive economic growth, social development and environmental sustainability.
While inspecting the private fish units and interacting with fish farmers, the Director expressed satisfaction over the functioning of the fish rearing units, adding he reiterated that the Department of Fisheries UT Ladakh is fully committed to strengthen the rural economy by making fish farming economically more vibrant and viable through the centrally sponsored flagship programme Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojna (PMMSY).

Director Raza Abbassi said that PMMSY shall be implemented in Ladakh UT with 60%  subsidy on unit cost which would not only  address the deficit of fish production, but will also help to resolve the unemployment issues in the rural areas. 

The Director Fisheries informed farmers that  in order to tap the potential available in the sector, the department is constructing a new trout fish farm at Thasgam Drass during the current financial year at an estimated cost of Rs 150.00 lakhs with the objective of enhancing the fish production which would revolutionize the aquaculture sector.

Dr Muhammad Raza Abbassi while distributing the information pamphlets pertaining to the Central Sponsored Schemes informed farmers that PMMSY is providing a window of opportunities to the educated unemployed youth and poor farmers to develop entrepreneurship and self-employment which will certainly open up plethora of new avenues of employment in rural areas by increasing self-employment thereby improving socio-economic conditions of the rural populace.  

Meanwhile, the Director also took stock of the functioning of Fish Farm Khandiyal Drass and various developmental activities being implemented in Drass Sub Division. 

AD Fisheries Kargil informed the Director that during the current fiscal an amount Rs 20.00 lakhs have been earmarked for renovation of Fish Farm Khandiyal Drass under the District Capex Budget, while as an amount of Rs 45.00 lakhs has been earmarked under State Plan for augmentation of water from Goshan Nallah.