Skill Upgradation & Employment Generation under Fish Farming
Skill Upgradation & Employment Generation under Fish Farming
Problem
- Unavailability of employment for tribal fishermen residing nearby local water bodies
- Socioeconomic conditions of the tribal population living near water bodies were not good
- There were various central and state government schemes introduced but not implemented efficiently
- People are unaware of the PESA provisions and tribal rights
- People who were non-tribals or private contractors tapped the water bodies and didn’t want to leave them
- This resulted in Individual fishermen not getting advantages of the government schemes as they could not get the sole allotment
Solution
- An amendment was made to the Rajasthan Fisheries Rule 1958
- This provided priority to the local tribal co-operatives in getting allotment of water bodies nearby their residences
- Initiatives such as identification of water bodies, survey of water bodies and study of their technical feasibility were undertaken
- Identification of needy interested unemployed tribal population
- Formation of tribal fishing co-operatives and getting its registration
- Providing fishing equipment to authorised beneficiaries and providing technical support and services by RTADCF at all the levels of activity
Outcomes
- The number of beneficiaries has gone up to 43 tribal co-operatives covering 5,889 beneficiaries
- Around 9,100+ tribal families are covered directly or indirectly and are benefited financially under this programme
- 484 tribal fishermen were trained in the latest fishing techniques for skill upgradation
- Average 20-40 water bodies got stocked with fish seed every year, tribal fishermen were given a total of 2,935 fishing Boats and 59,389 kgs fish seed free of cost
Project Details
Category: Skill Development
Project Title: Skill Upgradation & Employment Generation under Fish Farming
Department or District: Rajasthan Tribal Area Development Co-operative Federation Ltd. (RTADCF), Tribal Area Development Department, Government of Rajasthan
State: Rajasthan
Start Date of the Project: Field operations began on 23 March 2015 after registration of the first tribal fishermen co-operative and amendment work on the Rajasthan Fisheries Rules 1958.
Website: https://tad.rajasthan.gov.in/
Tribe(s) that the Project Covers: The intervention focuses on the scheduled-area districts of southern Rajasthan—Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara, Pratapgarh and parts of Sirohi and Baran—where Bhil, Garasia, Meena and Sahariya communities constitute the majority of inhabitants living around nearly four hundred perennial water-bodies.
Keywords: Tribal Fisheries, Aquaculture, PESA, RTADCF, Reservoir Leasing, Skill Up-gradation, Tribal Economy, Employment Generation, Fish Farming Livelihoods
Fishing in Rajasthan’s tribal belt had long been dominated by outside contractors who leased reservoirs through competitive bidding. Local tribal households, though living beside these waters, lacked the skills, capital and legal priority to turn fisheries into a livelihood. RTADCF conceived a co-operative model that would organise tribal youth, upgrade their technical capacity and secure first rights over water-bodies by invoking the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA).
The Project
The initiative creates Self-Help Groups that are federated into tribal fishermen co-operative societies. RTADCF undertakes a cycle of water-body identification, lease procurement on reserve price, fingerling stocking, equipment supply, training, and continuous extension. By 2022 the programme had mapped 73 reservoirs covering more than 32,000 ha of effective water-spread and supported 104 new tribal co-operatives comprising 3,224 fishermen; another 43 dormant societies were revived, taking total membership above 9,100 families.
Problems that it Intends to Solve
Before intervention, communities were unorganised, untrained and excluded from lease auctions. Reservoirs were under-stocked, equipment was unaffordable, and migration for wage labour was common. A baseline SWOT analysis prepared by RTADCF highlighted exploitative contractors, incomplete hydrological data and weak institutional voice of tribals as core constraints.
What was the Need
Scheduled-area districts show the highest rural poverty in Rajasthan and limited non-farm opportunities. Fish farming offers year-round income, local protein and women’s participation. Without institutional backing, however, tribals could neither bargain for leases nor adopt scientific aquaculture.
Key hindrances included resistance from existing private leaseholders, fragmented beneficiary base, fear of pilferage, limited awareness of PESA rights, and the absence of a financing channel for boats, nets and seed. Amendments to the Fisheries Rules were essential to reserve B, C and D-category waters for tribal societies.
Process Followed for Implementation
- Government
- The Tribal Area Development Department negotiated a rule change, notified Gram Sabhas, and channelled budget for boats, nets and fingerlings.
- Involvement of Community
- Gram Sabhas selected beneficiaries; villagers formed SHGs that evolved into registered co-operatives, ensuring collective ownership and peer monitoring.
- RTADCF Facilitation
- The federation conducted hydrological surveys, framed business plans, arranged seed supply from its hatcheries, and provided shore-based extension officers. Training coursed through primary, refresher and exposure modules covering gear handling, post-harvest hygiene and cooperative accounting.
Solutions Implemented
After water-body allotment, each co-operative received an average of 20–40 ha for exclusive fishing. RTADCF stocked carp seed at ecological carrying capacity, distributed 2,935 boats and 59,389 kg of nets free of cost, and installed decentralised nurseries to shorten supply chains. Continuous mentoring addressed conflicts, poaching threats and market linkages.
Between 2015 and 2021 the intervention directly benefited 9,113 households—about 45,565 individuals—and indirectly improved fish availability in local markets, reducing travel for fresh protein. Annual fingerling release now covers up to forty reservoirs a year, sustaining catches beyond subsistence level.
Innovation and Unique Features
- The project’s uniqueness lies in marrying the legal strength of PESA with a co-operative supply chain. Lease-free allotment at reserve price removed entry barriers; the federation’s seed-to-market package replaced fragmented schemes with a single-window approach.
- Capacity building combines classroom modules with on-site “learning while fishing”; GIS-based mapping of reservoirs guides seed density, and mobile kiosks sell chilled fish, extending value addition to the doorstep.
- Tribal elders helped design rules for equitable dividend sharing; women were admitted as members, increasing household nutrition control. Feedback loops led RTADCF to stagger seed release to match monsoon inflows and to introduce insurance against fish kills.
Challenges Faced Before Implementation
- Internally, RTADCF needed new fisheries expertise and accurate reservoir data. Externally, contractor push-back and village factionalism risked derailment.
- A state-level task-force oversaw legal amendments; police-village committees deterred poaching; and revolving funds bridged working-capital gaps for feed.
- Seasonal water fluctuation and disease outbreaks were tackled by training societies in liming, netting schedules and record-keeping. Portable aerators were stationed at critical tanks.
Outcomes
- Quantitative Results
- Post-deployment, average monthly cash income rose by ₹3,000 per family; 20–40 reservoirs are stocked annually; migration has virtually ceased, and protein intake has risen markedly. Reservoir productivity jumped from negligible baseline to commercial harvests, driving a co-operative turnover that crossed ₹8 crore in 2021–22 (internal RTADCF MIS).
- Qualitative Results
- Improved housing, schooling and ownership of motorcycles and televisions testify to socio-economic mobility. Local availability of fresh fish has diversified diets and reduced anaemia.
- RTADCF maintains a “1000-day care register” style log for each co-operative, recording stocking, harvests and revenues; district officers audit societies bi-annually, and findings feed into the Tribal Advisory Council’s review.
- Beneficiaries
- Primary beneficiaries are tribal youths and their families living within five kilometres of reservoirs; secondary beneficiaries include village consumers, net-makers and ice-suppliers.
Replicability / Scalability / Sustainability
The rule amendment unlocks more than 36,500 ha of water-spread in the TSP area; the model is blueprint-ready for neighbouring Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat tribal belts with similar PESA frameworks. Revenue-sharing ensures working capital, while seed hatcheries run on a revolving fund, making the scheme financially self-propelling.
