Around one lakh marine fishing vessels across India will soon be equipped with indigenously developed transponders under the Vessel Communication and Support System (VCSS), following the Union government’s approval of a nationwide rollout plan aimed at enhancing fishermen’s safety, communication and navigation.
The Union Department of Fisheries on Thursday approved the national rollout of the VCSS under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) at an estimated cost of Rs 364 crore.
The project includes the installation of transponders on marine fishing vessels, establishment of earth stations and associated communication infrastructure, and development of the ‘Nabhmitra’ mobile application in regional languages.
Under the scheme, eligible fishermen will receive the transponders free of cost. The project will be implemented on a 60:40 cost-sharing basis between the Centre and the states, while Union Territories will receive 100 per cent central assistance.
The VCSS has been developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to strengthen the monitoring, control and surveillance of marine fishing vessels. ISRO has also developed the ‘Nabhmitra’ application to provide real-time communication and support services to the marine fishing community.
The application offers a range of features, including periodic position reporting, two-way messaging, emergency and SOS alerts, automatic geo-fencing-based boundary crossing warnings, weather and cyclone advisories, emergency weather alerts, Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) information, navigational assistance, and an e-Token/Trip Declaration system.
According to officials, the system is expected to significantly improve the safety of fishermen by enabling faster search and rescue operations during emergencies and adverse weather conditions. It will also help prevent Indian fishing vessels from inadvertently crossing into the territorial waters of neighbouring countries by issuing timely boundary alerts.
As part of the project, communication infrastructure will be developed at 423 Fish Landing Centres (FLCs) out of the 1,547 notified FLCs across the country.
The centres have been selected by states and Union Territories based on factors such as the number of operational fishing vessels, dependence of local fishing communities, fish landing volumes, proximity to fish markets and processing facilities, techno-financial viability, availability of funds and compliance with statutory requirements.
According to government data, Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of notified Fish Landing Centres at 350, followed by Tamil Nadu with 301 and Kerala with 204.
(With inputs from IANS)
