Patna, March 30 : Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), many fishermen and workers associated with the fisheries sector in Bihar were provided with fish marketing kits and bicycle ice boxes on Sunday.

This brought joy and a smile to their faces, after which they expressed their gratitude to the Modi government for the remarkable step towards improving their lifestyle and livelihood.

Many fishermen spoke to IANS about the Centre's innovative scheme, elaborating on how this could bring a decisive change in their lives.

Rikhu Devi said, "I got the cycle. We will definitely see some change. First, we used to sell the fish on the road, now we will take our cycle around."

Ram Pravesh Chaudhary told IANS that he wants to reach more customers after getting bicycle ice boxes from the government and earn more income.

"The fish won't get stale now, as we have got the ice box. Earlier, we used to sell it in 10 homes, now we will be able to sell it in 50 homes. All this happened due to the Prime Minister. Before this government, these types of schemes were not there," he said.

Another beneficiary Shravan Kumar thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the commendable step and said that this will lift the fishermen out of extreme poverty.

"All the sellers got all the things important for us, including the tub, trays, drum, umbrella, dustbin, ice box and cycle. This is a very nice scheme by the Prime Minister. It will help us a lot," said Sujit Kumar.

Rameshwar Prasad said, "We got everything that is required. No one thought of us before this, but PM Modi thought of us. We used to sell in very difficult conditions, but now with all these things provided to us, we will sell comfortably."

Kiran Devi thanked the government for fisheries kits, including buckets, drums, knives, cycles, ice-boxes and tubs and said that this will not only make them financially capable but will help them sell more.

Deputy Director of Fisheries Directorate Mohammad Rashid Farooqui shared information about PMMSY benefits and said, "There are 36-38 items, with provisions for 60 per cent subsidy for SC/ST, 40 per cent for general category and 60 per cent for women across all classes. Currently, under the scheme, fishermen are receiving a 70% subsidy to ensure they can sell fish in hygienic conditions. There are items worth Rs 25,000 for urban areas and Rs 19,000 for rural areas..."

Notably, PMMSY is a transformative scheme for the welfare of fishermen under the aegis of the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. It aims to address critical gaps in fish production and productivity, quality, technology, post-harvest infrastructure and management, and strengthen the value chain.

/IANS