PM-MKSSY Component 1A: Formalization of the Fisheries Sector and Access to Working Capital Financing

What is PM-MKSSY Component 1A?

Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY) is a Central Sector Sub-scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), implemented by the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. According to the Cabinet approval published by the Prime Minister's Office, PM-MKSSY runs for four years from 2023-24 to 2026-27 with a total investment of over Rs 6,000 crore aimed at the fisheries sector's micro and small enterprises.

Component 1A is the formalization pillar of the scheme. Its purpose is to gradually bring India's large unorganized fisheries sector into the formal economy by creating a national registry of fish producers and the workers, vendors, processors and enterprises that support them, and then to facilitate their access to Government of India programmes for working capital financing.

The core instrument is the National Fisheries Digital Platform (NFDP), launched on 11 September 2024. The NFDP creates a work-based digital identity and database for every stakeholder in the fisheries value chain. This digital identity is what allows a small fish vendor or micro-enterprise, previously invisible to the formal financial system; to be recognised, and therefore to be considered for institutional credit and other government support.

Component 1A is one part of the larger PM-MKSSY design. The sub-scheme as a whole works to formalize the fisheries sector, strengthen access to institutional finance, expand insurance and market access, and improve safety and quality in the fish value chain. Within that design, Component 1A carries the foundational task — building the national registry and digital identity on which the other support measures depend. Without a formal, verifiable record of who works in the sector, the downstream benefits of credit, insurance and market linkage cannot reach the smallest and most informal participants, which is precisely the gap the registry is meant to close.

Who is eligible under Component 1A?

Component 1A is aimed at participants in the fisheries value chain, not the general public.

You can register if you are:

• A fisher, fish farmer or aquaculture farmer.
• A fish worker, vendor or processor in the fisheries supply chain.
• A fisheries micro or small enterprise seeking working capital access.
• A Fish Farmer Producer Organisation (FFPO) or fisheries cooperative.

You cannot claim a personal cash benefit if:

• You have no connection to the fisheries sector, the registry is limited to fisheries stakeholders.
• You expect a fixed direct cash grant. Component 1A is a formalization and facilitation measure; it enables access to working capital financing and provides incentives to encourage registration, rather than paying a set benefit amount to every registrant.

By the time of the latest published figures, more than 20 lakh fishers, micro-enterprises, FFPOs and companies had registered on the NFDP.

What documents are required?

How to apply and register under Component 1A

1. Go to the National Fisheries Digital Platform at nfdp.dof.gov.in, or download the NFDP mobile app.
2. Start a new registration and verify your mobile number with the OTP sent to it.
3. Create your work-based digital identity by entering your Aadhaar, personal and fisheries-activity details; enterprises should add their registration details.
4. Add your bank account details so that any financial incentives can be paid and so the profile can be linked to credit programmes.
5. Submit and save your NFDP profile/registration reference.
6. Once registered, use the platform to be considered for working capital financing programmes and other Government of India support routed through the NFDP.

How working capital access works

Component 1A does not hand out a fixed loan. Instead, by formalizing a beneficiary's identity and business record on the NFDP, it removes the biggest barrier smaller fisheries players face, the lack of a formal, verifiable profile. That formal record is what banks and government working capital programmes need before they can extend credit. In effect, Component 1A is the on-ramp: registration first, then facilitated access to institutional working capital financing.

Help and where to get it

• NFDP / Department of Fisheries portal: nfdp.dof.gov.in
• Fisheries helpline (NFDB): 1800-425-1660 (Monday to Friday, 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM)
• For scheme guidelines, refer to the Department of Fisheries website (dof.gov.in).

Registration on the NFDP is free. No agent is needed to create your digital identity or to be considered for the working capital financing programmes the platform supports.