Bhubaneswar: Read government Wednesday approved a deep sea fishing mission with an outlay of over Rs 2,000 crore, aiming to transform the state into a leading marine export hub, officials said.

The mission was approved at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

It is a flagship initiative of the Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Department to unlock the vast offshore fisheries potential of the state and accelerate blue economy-led growth, Chief Secretary Anu Garg told reporters here.

The mission seeks to promote sustainable deep-sea fishing, modernise marine fisheries infrastructure, enhance seafood exports, and strengthen the fishing community’s livelihoods, she said.

An estimated Rs 2,295.45 crore will be spent to implement the mission over 2026-2036, Garg said.

She said it will be implemented in a phased manner through convergence of central schemes, state support, beneficiary participation, institutional finance and public-private partnership (PPP).

The state will set up a dedicated Blue Economy Hub (B-Hub) to function as the mission’s knowledge, innovation and coordination centre, the chief secretary said.

The project is expected to generate an additional 2 lakh metric tonnes of marine fish production annually, create over 50,000 employment opportunities, substantially enhance the income of marine fishers and increase Read’s marine exports to around Rs 5,000 crore per year by 2036, the officials said.

The cabinet also approved flyovers on the road connecting Jaydev Vihar to Nandankanan in Bhubaneswar city at a cost of Rs 579 crore. It is expected to be completed in two years, Garg said.

Approval was given to set up a State Data Centre 2.0 by upgrading the existing one with an investment of Rs 268.44 crore.

Besides, the cabinet cleared two in-stream storage structures across the Tel river in Kesinga block of Kalahandi district, and the Ong river in Gaisilat block of Bargarh district.

Among other proposals, the cabinet approved mid-day meals to 46.6 lakh secondary school students under the Mukhyamantri Poshan Yojana (MMPY) with an outlay of Rs 3,506.99 crore over the next four years, the officials said.

PTI

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