The Centre on Monday informed the Orissa high court that the requirement of transponders, a tracking device used in fishing vessels in Odisha, will be included in a ‘national rollout plan’. The court had on March 1 issued notice to the joint secretary (marine), Government of India, to file a response in relation to the issue of facilitating the procurement of transponders by Odisha before June 26.
In an affidavit, Dr Manas Kumar Sinha, officer on special duty (National Fisheries Development Board, Bhubaneswar) said the Government of India ‘has approved a project for national rollout of vessel communication and support system including transponders on approximately one lakh fishing vessels in all coastal states and UTs’.
According to the affidavit, the approval was made based on the state government’s request and in consultation with the coastal states/UTs. The project will be implemented under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampad Yojana with 100% government funding on a cost sharing basis between the Centre and the state government in the ratio of 60:40. “The Government of India has entrusted New Space India Limited, a central PSU under the department of space, as the implementing agency for the project,” Sinha said in the affidavit.