The Haryana government has decided to set up a modern ornamental fish hatchery in Jhajjar district at a cost of Rs 13.68 crore. "This will be the first-of-its-kind project in the country," Agriculture and Fisheries minister Om Prakash Dhankar said here today

Chandigarh: The Haryana government has decided to set up a modern ornamental fish hatchery in Jhajjar district at a cost of Rs 13.68 crore. "This will be the first-of-its-kind project in the country," Agriculture and Fisheries minister Om Prakash Dhankar said here today. It has been proposed that 16,000 acres of water-logged land in district Jhajjar and Charkhi Dadri be developed for fish farming so as to generate a new source of income for the farmers, he said. Dhankar said that the farming of white shrimp would be done over 400 hectares additional unutilized saline land under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna scheme during the year 2017- 18. "Under the scheme, shrimp rearers would be provided 50 per cent grant of the total unit cost and for this the state government has made a provision of over Rs 51 crore," Dhankar said in an official release. Under the centrally sponsored 'blue revolution scheme' implemented for digging new ponds and their improvement and development of water logged and saline land, the grant money has been increased to 60 per cent from 20 per cent, he said. Dhankar said that the National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources has declared Haryana as a fish disease-free state. "Haryana is at second position in the country with fish production of 7,200 per kilogram per hectare per year in the year 2016-17 and 5,800 per kilogram per hectare per year in 2013-14. The fish production would be increased to 10,000 per kilogram per hectare per year in 2017-18," he added. Dhankar said that 18,975 hectares water area has been brought under fish farming in 2016-17 by increasing 16,921.69 hectares of water area in the year 2013-14. PTI