Uttar Pradesh Nishadraj Boat Subsidy Scheme

What is the Uttar Pradesh Nishadraj Boat Subsidy Scheme?

Uttar Pradesh Nishadraj Boat Subsidy Scheme is a state fisheries welfare measure run by the Fisheries Department (Matsya Vibhag) of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. It gives traditional fisherfolk a 40 percent subsidy on the working equipment they need to fish safely and to keep their catch fresh. A non-motorised boat, a fishing net, a life jacket and an ice box.

The name comes from Nishadraj Guha, the boatman king of the Ramayana who ferried Lord Ram across the Ganga at Shringverpur, near present-day Prayagraj. Uttar Pradesh uses the Nishadraj name across a set of measures aimed at the state's traditional boat-owning and fishing communities, of whom a large number live along the Ganga, Yamuna, Ghaghara, Gomti and Sarayu river systems.

According to the Fisheries Department, the purpose is to provide "employment and livelihood through fishing and fishery management" in the state's water bodies. In practical terms the scheme addresses three problems at once: fisherfolk who cannot afford their own boat and must rent one, unsafe fishing without life jackets, and post-catch spoilage for want of an ice box.

What does the Nishadraj scheme actually give?

The department subsidises 40 percent of the approved cost of the equipment kit. The beneficiary meets the remaining 60 percent, either from savings or from a bank loan.

The kit as listed by the Fisheries Department covers:

• A non-motorised boat (non-motorised nav), the core item.
• Fishing nets, sized to the water body being fished.
• A life jacket, addressing the safety gap that causes deaths every monsoon on the state's rivers.
• An ice box, so the catch can be held and carried to market without spoiling.

Two points are worth stating clearly. First, this is a subsidy on a purchase, not a free boat, the applicant has to arrange the balance. Second, the scheme covers non-motorised craft; mechanised or outboard-motor boats are not part of this kit.

Who is eligible for the Nishadraj Boat Subsidy Scheme?

You can be considered if:

• You are a resident of Uttar Pradesh.
• You belong to the traditional fishing community or work as a fisherman or fish farmer, and fishing is your actual source of livelihood.
• You fish in rivers, lakes, ponds, reservoirs or other water bodies of the state.
• You have a bank account in your own name for the direct benefit transfer.
• You apply within an announced application window.

You are not eligible if:

• You are not a resident of Uttar Pradesh.
• Fishing is not your occupation — the scheme is a livelihood support measure, not a recreational or commercial-tourism boat subsidy.
• You are applying for a motorised or mechanised vessel, which falls outside this kit.
• You have already received the same equipment subsidy and are applying again within the same cycle; departments normally bar repeat benefit on the same asset.
• You cannot produce any proof of fishing occupation. A fisherman identity card, cooperative society membership, departmental registration or a gram panchayat certificate.

Because the number of kits sanctioned in a district is limited by that year's budget, meeting the eligibility conditions does not by itself guarantee a sanction. Selection is made by the district fisheries office within its allocation.

What documents are needed for the Nishadraj scheme?

The proof of fishing occupation is the document that decides most cases. If you do not hold a fisherman identity card, the practical first step is to get registered with the district fisheries office or to join a registered fishermen's cooperative society, both of which produce documentation the scheme accepts.

How to apply for the Nishadraj Boat Subsidy Scheme

1. Check fisheries.up.gov.in for an open application window. The department invites applications in announced windows rather than continuously, and the most recent window was suspended with a note that revised dates would be announced.
2. Assemble your documents in scanned form, Aadhaar, residence certificate, proof of fishing occupation, bank passbook first page and a photograph.
3. Obtain a written quotation from a boat and net supplier covering the boat, net, life jacket and ice box, so the approved unit cost can be worked out.
4. Register on the Fisheries Department portal and fill the online application for the boat and net subsidy, entering your personal details, the water body you fish in, and the equipment you are applying for.
5. Upload the documents and the quotation, submit the application, and save the acknowledgement number shown on screen.
6. Follow up with your District Fisheries Officer, who scrutinises the application, verifies that fishing is your occupation, and issues the sanction within the district's allocation.
7. After sanction, buy the equipment, get it physically verified by the department, and submit the invoice so the 40 percent subsidy is released to your bank account.

How to apply offline or with help

1. Visit the District Fisheries Officer's office in your district headquarters with your documents.
2. Ask for assistance with the online form; district offices routinely help fisherfolk who cannot fill it themselves, and many applications are filed this way.
3. Collect a written acknowledgement with your application number before you leave.

Fishermen's cooperative societies are the other practical route. Societies registered with the department often file applications for their members as a group and are usually the first to know when a window opens.

How do I check my Nishadraj application status?

Log back into the Fisheries Department portal with the credentials you created and open your application using the acknowledgement number. The status shows whether the application is under scrutiny, sanctioned, pending verification or paid.

The district fisheries office is the faster route for a real answer. Sanction and physical verification both happen there, and the officer can tell you where your case stands in the district's allocation, which the portal will not show.

Why do Nishadraj subsidy applications get rejected?

• No acceptable proof that fishing is the applicant's occupation.
• Application filed outside an announced window, so it is not taken up at all.
• Bank account not in the applicant's own name or not Aadhaar-seeded, which blocks the direct benefit transfer.
• Equipment bought before sanction, which the department normally does not reimburse.
• District allocation exhausted for that year, in which case the applicant is asked to reapply in the next window.
• Quotation missing or inflated, so the approved unit cost cannot be fixed.

The mistake that costs applicants the most is buying the boat before the sanction letter arrives. Wait for the written sanction, then purchase.

Where do I complain about a Nishadraj scheme delay?

Start with the District Fisheries Officer, in writing, quoting your application number. That office holds the file.

Above the district, the Directorate of Fisheries, Uttar Pradesh, at 7, Ayodhya Road, Lucknow 226007, is the departmental authority. It can be reached on 0522-4568521 or at fisheries.mpr@gmail.com.

For a tracked, time-bound response, file a grievance on the state's integrated grievance portal jansunwai.up.nic.in, selecting the Fisheries Department. Jansunwai issues a complaint number and requires the department to record a reply.

Key points to remember

• The Nishadraj Boat Subsidy Scheme pays 40 percent of the cost of a non-motorised boat, net, life jacket and ice box.
• It is for working fisherfolk of Uttar Pradesh, and proof of fishing as an occupation is essential.
• Applications open in announced windows; the last window was suspended and revised dates are to be notified on fisheries.up.gov.in.
• Never buy the equipment before you hold the written sanction.