Raipur . Under the joint aegis of National Fisheries Agriculture Development Board (NFDB) and Fisheries Department, Chhattisgarh Government, an Aquaculture Insurance Awareness Programme was organised at the New Circuit House in Civil Lines of the capital Raipur under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samriddhi Yojana. The main objective of the programme was to provide information about Aquaculture Insurance Scheme to the fishermen of the state and to make them aware of the various benefits of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samriddhi Yojana. More than 200 fishermen from various districts of the state including Raipur participated in the programme.

The workshop was inaugurated by lighting a lamp by Dr. Lakhan Lal Dhiwar, Vice President of the Chhattisgarh Fishermen Welfare Board. On this occasion, he highlighted the importance of insurance protection in the sustainable development of the fisheries sector and said that the Aquaculture Insurance Scheme is extremely useful for fish farmers to compensate for losses caused by natural disasters and other risks.

At the event, Director of the Fisheries Department, N.S. Nag, welcomed the guests and provided detailed information about the various schemes run by the department. He stated that through the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samriddhi Yojana, efforts are being made to increase fish farmers' income, promote modern technologies, and strengthen risk management. He encouraged the fish farmers present to take advantage of the Aquaculture Insurance Scheme.

Mohammad Iftikhar Hussain, Insurance Specialist, National Fisheries and Agriculture Development Board, presented detailed information on the provisions, eligibility, and benefits of the Aquaculture Insurance Scheme. He explained that under the scheme, every fish farmer is provided a one-time incentive grant of 40 percent of the premium amount upon insuring up to 1.00 hectares of water area. Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, and women beneficiaries are also eligible for an additional 10 percent incentive. Assistance up to a maximum of ₹1.00 lakh is provided under this scheme. He further explained that fish production-related structures such as pond liners, cage culture, RAS (Re-circulatory Aquaculture System), and biofloc units are also included in the insurance coverage. According to the prescribed standards, incentives up to ₹1.00 lakh and assistance up to 1800 cubic meters of water capacity are provided for these structures. This provides protection to fish farmers from potential financial risks.

In the workshop, State Head of Common Service Center (CSC) Jai Narayan Patel explained the process of registration on government portals in a step-by-step manner. He resolved the doubts of the beneficiaries by demonstrating the process of registration on Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samriddhi Yojana and National Fisheries Digital Platform (NFDP). In the workshop, representatives of agriculture insurance company Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited, Waghmare and Ashish Amit Toppo, gave detailed information on various aspects of Aquaculture Insurance Scheme, insurance claims process, risk coverage and direct benefits of the scheme. They also provided guidance to the fish farmers regarding timely insurance and maintenance of necessary documents.

During the workshop, a dialogue session was also held with fish farmers, where experts and officials addressed their queries. Participants expressed positive feedback on the plan, calling it an important initiative toward making the fish farming business safe and profitable.