New Delhi : Fisheries research institutes under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) are exploring the use of drone technology for a range of aquaculture-related activities. These include water sampling from difficult terrains, automated feed and medicine distribution, biomass estimation, and health monitoring in aquatic systems. The move is aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and scientific precision in aquaculture practices.
The ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CIFRI) is currently developing a prototype drone capable of transporting up to 70 kg of fish and shrimp from production centres to markets. This initiative is being undertaken as part of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). In addition, a technical committee has been formed by the Department of Fisheries to establish standard operating procedures (SoPs) for drone applications in fisheries and aquaculture.
Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, George Kurian, informed the Rajya Sabha that PMMSY also promotes innovative technologies, startups, and pilot projects including the use of drones. Key activities such as surveillance, stock assessment, environmental monitoring, disease detection, and precision fishing fall under the scheme’s central sector components. With an investment of ₹20,050 crore across all states and Union Territories, PMMSY also includes social security measures like group accidental insurance for fishers, with premium contributions shared between the Centre and states.
The insurance coverage provided under the PMMSY includes Rs 5,00,000 against death or permanent total disability, Rs 2,50,000 for permanent partial disability, and hospitalization expenses in the event of accident for a sum of Rs 25,000. During the last three years (2022-23 to 2024-25) of the implementation of the PMMSY, the Central government has released a sum of Rs 54.03 crores for insurance coverage of 103.73 lakh fishers with an average of 34.57 lakh fishers annually, Kurian said.
