CIFRI Awards
Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Honourable Union Minister of Jal Shakti visited ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) Hilsa ranching station at Farakka, West Bengal on 18 December 2020. Shri U. P. Singh, IAS, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Shri A. K. Jain, Commissioner, Flood Control Management, Ministry of Jal Shakti, and Shri Saibal Ghosh, General Manager, Farakka Barrage Authority (FBA) and staffs of FBA, Inland Waterways Authority (IWAI), Central Water Commission (CWC), and ICAR-CIFRI were present on this occasion. Dr. B. K. Das, Director and Co-ordinator and Dr. A.K. Sahoo, Sr. Scientist briefly explained the objectives and ongoing activities of the project with technical interventions for improving Hilsa fisheries in the river Ganga.
Honourable Minister released tagged Hilsa in River Ganga at Farakka.
ICAR-CIFRI under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Ministry of Jal Shakti programme, has initiated “Mission Hilsa at Prayagaraj” with a target of ranching of 30,000 adult Hilsa in the middle stretch of river Ganga during 2020-23. During 2020-21, a total of 5082 Hilsa adult of average weight of 205g has been ranched at the upstream of the Farakka barrage. Furthermore, a total of 329 adult Hilsa has been tagged to monitor Hilsa migration in the middle stretch of the river Ganga particularly from Farakka to Prayagraj. Tagged Hilsa has been recovered from the Birnagar, West Bengal, which is approximately 17 km upstream from the ranching station on the same day within 4hr (Tag no.672). ICAR-CIFRI has taken up Hilsa ranching initiatives towards Hilsa fisheries re-establishment in the middle stretches of the river Ganga particularly from Prayagraj to Farakka for livelihood improvement of the fishermen.
