# Only 2.1% of fishers got aid during ban, House panel says 2026-08-13T06:48:52+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet A parliamentary panel has criticised the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, the Union government's flagship welfare scheme for traditional fisherfolk, for abysmal coverage. Between 2020 and 2025, only 5.95 lakh fishers, about 2.1% of India's estimated 2.8 crore fishers, received financial assistance during the annual 61-day fishing ban, the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing said. The panel called the performance 'dismally low' and rejected the government's argument that low registration explained the gap. It recommended raising the annual assistance to at least Rs 10,000 without requiring a beneficiary contribution, citing inflation. The fisheries department told the panel it had prepared a proposal for enhanced aid from 2025-26, but did not specify the amount. The panel also flagged that only 287 of 379 selected fishing harbours or landing centres had been completed by June 2025. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com Tags: fisherfolk welfare, fishing ban, government schemes, Parliamentary panel, PMMSY Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/only-2-1-of-fishers-got-aid-during-ban-house-panel-says/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/only-2-1-of-fishers-got-aid-during-ban-house-panel-says/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.