Assistance to Scheduled Castes for Fisheries: Boat and Net (Gujarat)

What is the Boat and Net scheme for Scheduled Castes in Gujarat?

Assistance to Scheduled Castes for Fisheries: Boat Net is a Scheduled Caste sub-plan component run by the Commissioner of Fisheries, Gujarat, under the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department. The scheme part-funds the two pieces of equipment without which inland fishing is not possible at all, a small boat and a net.

According to the myScheme record maintained for the Gujarat Fisheries Commissionerate, assistance is 50 percent of the cost, or a fixed ceiling, whichever is less:

The two ceilings reflect two different classes of boat. A tin boat is the cheaper option and carries the lower ceiling. An FRP boat, fibre-reinforced plastic; costs more up front but resists corrosion and rough handling far better, so the state allows double the assistance for it. A beneficiary chooses one unit type, not both.

A minimum reclamation period of 6 years attaches to the assistance. The boat and net are expected to stay in the beneficiary's fisheries use for that period, which is why the scheme is aimed at working fishers rather than at anyone wanting a subsidised asset.

Key features

• Funded from Gujarat's Scheduled Caste sub-plan, administered by the Fisheries Commissionerate.
• Two ceilings, Rs 7,500 for tin and Rs 15,000 for FRP, both at 50 percent of cost.
• 6-year minimum reclamation period on the subsidised unit.
• Applied for on i-Khedut, sanctioned at district level, paid by direct transfer.

Who is eligible for the Boat and Net scheme?

You can apply if:

• You belong to a Scheduled Caste notified for Gujarat and hold a valid caste certificate from the competent revenue authority.
• You are 18 years or older on the date of application.
• You are engaged in inland fisheries in Gujarat, as an individual, through a registered fishermen's co-operative society, or through a self-help group.
• You hold a bank account in your own name capable of receiving a direct transfer.
• You intend to keep the boat and net in fisheries use for at least 6 years.

You cannot apply if:

• You do not belong to a Scheduled Caste. This component draws on the Scheduled Caste sub-plan and general-category or Scheduled Tribe fishers are not eligible for it, though parallel components exist for both on the same portal.
• You are under 18 years of age.
• You have no personal bank account, or the account is held jointly in a way that prevents a transfer in your name.
• You intend to sell or divert the unit before the 6-year reclamation period ends.
• You apply outside the i-Khedut window for the financial year.

Marine fishing craft are not covered here. Gujarat contributes roughly a fifth of India's marine production and the Fisheries Commissionerate runs distinct marine support schemes for that sector, listed on fisheries.gujarat.gov.in — kerosene assistance, a diesel VAT relief scheme, fisherman accident assistance and group accident insurance.

What documents are needed?

Because the assistance is a percentage of actual cost with a hard ceiling, the quotation matters. A tin unit quoted at Rs 12,000 attracts Rs 6,000, not Rs 7,500, because 50 percent of cost is the lower figure.

How to apply for Boat and Net assistance

1. Open the i-Khedut portal at ikhedut.gujarat.gov.in and go to the schemes section.
2. Register as a farmer or institutional applicant if this is your first application, and select your district, taluka and village. Existing users log in instead.
3. Choose the fisheries department from the scheme list, then select the Scheduled Caste boat and net component. If it is not shown, the window is closed.
4. Fill the application, stating clearly whether you are applying for a tin unit or an FRP unit, and enter your caste certificate number and bank details.
5. Confirm the application, then print the confirmation. A draft that is never confirmed is not forwarded to the department.
6. Submit the printed application with self-attested copies of the caste certificate, identity proof, bank passbook and quotation to the district fisheries office within the period stated on the printout.
7. After sanction, buy the boat and net, retain the bill, and present the unit for physical verification so the subsidy can be released.

Applicants who cannot file online can have the form filed at an e-Gram centre or a Common Service Centre; the printed application still has to be submitted physically.

How and when is the money paid?

Assistance is released after the district fisheries office verifies the purchase and, in most cases, physically inspects the boat and net. It is credited by direct transfer to the bank account entered in the i-Khedut application. No part of the subsidy is paid in cash and none is paid before purchase.

Only one unit is sanctioned per beneficiary in a sanction cycle, and the 6-year reclamation condition runs from the date the unit is taken into use.

How do I check my application status?

1. Go to ikhedut.gujarat.gov.in and open the application status option.
2. Enter the application number from your printed confirmation, along with the mobile or Aadhaar number used at filing.
3. Read the current stage; scrutiny, sanction, or rejection with reason.

If the file has not moved for several weeks, the district fisheries officer holds it. That office, not the Gandhinagar headquarters, is the first point of contact.

Why Boat and Net applications get rejected

• Caste certificate issues; expired, from another state, or carrying a name that does not match the bank passbook.
• No quotation, so the eligible cost cannot be worked out.
• Bank account not in the applicant's own name or dormant.
• Both unit types claimed, or a second unit claimed while an earlier subsidised unit is still inside its 6-year reclamation period.
• Application filed after the window closed: i-Khedut does not carry late applications forward.
• Application left as an unconfirmed draft on the portal.

Most of these are fixable before the next window opens. Renew the caste certificate, correct the name spelling so it matches across documents, get a fresh quotation, and confirm the application on the portal before printing it.

Where to raise a grievance

Take the first grievance to the district fisheries office with your i-Khedut application number and the date of submission. If that does not settle it, write to the Commissioner of Fisheries, 3rd Floor, Block No. 10, Jeevraj Mehta Bhavan, Gandhinagar, the address published on fisheries.gujarat.gov.in. Gujarat's state online grievance system is available above that.

Applying costs nothing. No agent can charge for a sanction, and no officer will ever need your bank OTP.