Mava Meen Campaign, a New Livelihood Revolution in Narayanpur’s Rural Areas

Raipur, Vananchal district Narayanpur is seeing the “Mava Meen Campaign” operating with the aim of multi-use of water structures and elevating rural livelihoods to new heights, filling the lives of villagers with happiness and economic prosperity. Under the efficient guidance of the collector, this campaign links fish farming with water structures (check dams) built under MGNREGA and VB-G Ram Ji scheme, showing villagers the path of self-reliance. The district has set a target to promote fish farming in a total of 200 check dams, of which quality fish seed has been successfully collected and distributed in 165 dams so far. Through the Prime Minister’s Matsya Sampada Scheme, the Fisheries Department continuously provides beneficiaries with seed as well as advanced technical guidance. A vivid example of this blue revolution and change is Mr. Surendra Nag, a resident of the village Karalkha. By precisely availing government schemes, he has moved beyond traditional farming and made fish farming the main basis of his livelihood. In FY 2022-23, under the Prime Minister’s Matsya Sampada Scheme, he constructed a pond on one hectare of water area on his private land. The pond, costing about Rs 7 lakh, received a government grant of Rs 4.20 lakh, while he invested the remaining Rs 2.80 lakh himself. After the pond was built, Surendra Nag adopted scientific methods with technical guidance from the fisheries department and established new dimensions in production. Currently he produces about 1,000 to 2,000 kg of fish and 150 kg of prawns annually, earning an additional net income of about Rs 2.50 to 3.50 lakh each year. Building on this success, in FY 2025-26, after receiving prawn seed under the ‘Prawn with Fish Farming Scheme’, he is now also engaged in poultry (chicken) farming along with fish and prawn farming, leading to a multiplied increase in his income sources. Expressing his happiness over this achievement, Surendra Nag says that government assistance, proper technical guidance and his own hard work have given him the opportunity to become self-reliant in his village. He thanks the Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai, district administration and the fisheries department from the bottom of his heart for this economic strength and self-reliance. The ‘Mava Meen Campaign’ is proving to be a new ray of prosperity and self‑reliance for hundreds of other families in Narayanpur today.