GS Paper I 2018 · Q15
15 marks · 250 words Farm subsidies, MSP, PDS & food security X-Ray · Core #46Defining blue revolution, explain the problems and strategies for pisciculture development in India.
Approach · directive: “define / explain”
What it asks · Define the Blue Revolution, then set out the problems facing fish farming in India and the strategies to develop it.
It asks 3 things — answer each
- Define the Blue Revolution, with its scheme form in India
- Explain the problems facing pisciculture: inputs, infrastructure and markets, finance, resources and ecology
- Explain the strategies for its development: technology, finance and infrastructure, institutions and markets, sustainability
Open with · India's fish output reached about 197.75 lakh tonnes (provisional) in 2024–25, making it the world's second-largest producer; the Blue Revolution names the drive behind this rise.
Cover
- Definition: rapid, sustained rise in fish production through aquaculture and fisheries management; inland sources give about 75% of fish output value.
- Schemes: Blue Revolution (2015–16, Rs 3,000 crore); PMMSY (2020, Rs 20,050 crore investment).
- Problems: poor seed and feed, disease, small ponds; weak cold chains, middlemen; thin credit.
- Ecology: shrinking, polluted water bodies; overfishing; illegal African catfish threatening native species.
- Strategies: hatcheries, cage culture, biofloc and RAS; FIDF (Rs 7,522.48 crore) and KCC for fishers (2018–19).
- Cooperatives, producer organisations, MPEDA exports, ICAR extension; fishing bans, mesh rules, mangroves, native species.
Close with · Growth in tonnes will last only if it is matched by care for stocks and water, aligning fish farming with SDG 14 (life below water) and SDG 2 (zero hunger).
Add value (verified)
- India's fish production rose to about 197.75 lakh tonnes (provisional) in 2024–25, 38% above 2019–20.Increase in Fish Production and Productivity under PMMSY — PIB, Ministry of Fisheries ↗“the total fish production of the country has increased from about 141.60 lakh tonnes from the year 2019–20 to ~197.75 lakh tonnes (provisional) in the year 2024–25 registering an increase of 38%”
- India is the world's second-largest fish producer, with nearly 8% of global output.5 Years of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana — PIB ↗“The country has emerged as the second-largest fish producer in the world, contributing nearly 8% of global fish production”
- PMMSY was approved with a total investment of Rs 20,050 crore.5 Years of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana — PIB ↗“The scheme was approved with a total investment size of ₹20,050 crore”
- FIDF was created in 2018–19 with a fund size of Rs 7,522.48 crore.Year End Review 2023: Department of Fisheries — PIB ↗“Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) during 2018-19 with a total funds size of Rs 7,522.48 crore”
- The Kisan Credit Card was extended to fisheries farmers in 2018–19.Year End Review 2023: Department of Fisheries — PIB ↗“Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme was extended by the Government of India (GoI) in the 2018-19 to fisheries and animal husbandry farmers”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2018, GS Paper I — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 16 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 315words · Minimalist IAS
India produced about 197.75 lakh tonnes of fish (provisional) in 2024–25, up from 141.60 lakh tonnes in 2019–20, and is now the world's second-largest producer with nearly 8% of global output. That rise is what the Blue Revolution set out to achieve.
Defining the Blue Revolution
- Meaning: a rapid, sustained rise in fish production and productivity through aquaculture and better fisheries management, lifting incomes and nutrition as the Green Revolution did for grain.
- Pisciculture at its core: inland sources now give about 75 per cent of India's fish production.
- Scheme form: 'Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries' (from 2015–16, Rs 3,000 crore) was carried forward by the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana (2020, total investment Rs 20,050 crore).
Problems in pisciculture
- Inputs: poor-quality seed and feed, costly feed, disease outbreaks and small, low-yield ponds.
- Infrastructure and markets: weak cold chains and landing centres, high post-harvest loss and dependence on middlemen.
- Finance: small fish farmers lack credit and insurance.
- Resources and ecology: shrinking, polluted water bodies, overfishing, and the illegal introduction of the African catfish Clarias gariepinus, which threatens native catfishes.
| Problem | Strategy |
|---|---|
| Poor seed and feed | Certified hatcheries, broodstock, feed mills |
| Post-harvest loss | Cold chain and harbours through FIDF |
| Thin credit | Kisan Credit Card for fish farmers |
Strategies for development
- Technology: cage culture in reservoirs, biofloc and recirculating systems, stocking of wetlands, and species diversification.
- Finance and infrastructure: the FIDF (2018–19, Rs 7,522.48 crore) gives concessional finance for harbours and cold chains; the Kisan Credit Card was extended to fish farmers in 2018–19.
- Institutions and markets: cooperatives and producer organisations, export promotion through MPEDA, and extension by ICAR fisheries institutes.
- Sustainability: seasonal fishing bans, mesh-size rules, mangrove protection and native species over invasive ones.
Growth in tonnes will last only if it is matched by care for stocks and water, aligning fish farming with SDG 14 (life below water) and SDG 2 (zero hunger).
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 16 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
