Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reaffirmed that the Blue Economy is central to India’s growth, combining prosperity, sustainability, and national strength. Responding to a post by Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh, the Prime Minister emphasized that initiatives such as Sagarmala, Deep Ocean Mission, and Harit Sagar Guidelines are empowering communities, driving innovation, and strengthening India’s leadership in global ocean governance.
India’s revised coastline now stretches over 11,098 kilometers and its Exclusive Economic Zone spans 2.4 million square kilometers, positioning the country to build a Rs. 100,000 crore growth engine through sustainable ocean resource utilization. This vision aims to create jobs, support coastal communities, protect marine ecosystems, and enhance India’s global maritime presence.
The country is now advancing into Blue Economy 2.0, focusing not only on traditional sectors but also on emerging high-potential areas that will shape future growth. The Deep Ocean Mission is enabling scientists to explore the deep sea using the Matsya submersible, with the goal of discovering strategic resources and developing new technologies. The Sagarmala Programme is modernizing ports to make trade more efficient and businesses more competitive. For coastal communities, the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana has become a flagship scheme driving a blue revolution in the fisheries sector.
The vision extends beyond economic metrics, aiming to empower people and protect the planet. It includes creating new opportunities for women by encouraging leadership in sustainable fields such as seaweed farming and eco-friendly tourism, offering new income streams and amplifying their voices within communities.
Since its launch on September 10, 2020, the PMMSY scheme has ushered in a transformative phase in India’s fisheries sector, making the country the second-largest fish producer in the world. Fish production has surged to 195 lakh tonnes in 2024–25, up from 141.64 lakh tonnes in 2019–20, contributing nearly 8 percent of global output. Fisheries exports have grown from Rs. 46,662.85 crore in 2019–20 to Rs. 60,524.89 crore in 2023–24, reinforcing India’s position in the global seafood market.
The scheme has generated 58 lakh employment opportunities as of December 2024, surpassing its target of 55 lakh. It has also empowered 99,018 women through an outlay of Rs. 4,061.96 crore sanctioned between 2020–21 and 2024–25. PMMSY continues to work toward making the fisheries sector ecologically healthy, economically viable, and socially inclusive by addressing gaps in production, quality, technology, and post-harvest infrastructure.
To further promote women’s participation, the scheme offers up to 60 percent of the total project cost as financial assistance, with a ceiling of Rs. 1.5 crore per project under beneficiary-oriented activities and the entrepreneur model.
