Scheduled Tribe/Scheduled Caste Subplan

Under this scheme:

• Pond clusters, comprising a minimum of 10 ponds at one location, are created for individuals belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The scheme provides 60% of the total cost as a grant for pond construction and the first-year investment, including expenses on fish hatcheries and feed. A minimum of 10 ponds will be constructed in each village.
• Individual beneficiaries are eligible to receive a grant for a maximum of 500 cubic meters, up to ₹3,00,000/-. For societies, groups, mahasanghs, federations, or mangal dals belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, a grant of ₹5,10,000/- is provided, which constitutes 60% of the total project cost of ₹8,50,000/- for the construction of a 1-hectare pond in the plains.
• Ponds of sizes ranging from 0.05 to 0.50 hectares will be constructed in the plains under this scheme.

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1. The applicant must be an individual belonging to the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe category and residing in the mountainous or plain areas of Uttarakhand.
2. The applicant must be interested in, or currently engaged in, fish farming or fish production.
3. The applicant (individual or group) must own or lease land and have a nearby water source within the state.
4. The applicant must be a permanent resident of Uttarakhand.

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• To avail the benefits of this scheme, eligible beneficiaries or groups must submit an application to the office of the Assistant Director of Fisheries or the District Fisheries Incharge at the district level. The application must include an Aadhaar card, land records, permanent residence certificate, bank account details, mobile number, Caste Certificate and, in the case of group applications, the relevant registration certificate or land availability certificate.

*(In the future, the application process will be made available online through the* *Apuni Sarkar Portal**.)*

• After submission of the application, a survey is conducted by fisheries inspectors or field personnel, and a proposal is prepared in collaboration with the beneficiary. Once the proposal is finalized, the concerned district officer grants approval. Pond construction work is then carried out under the supervision and technical guidance of field personnel.
• If a beneficiary does not have the required 40% of funds, they may obtain a loan from the nearest cooperative or commercial bank. In the case of a loan, the bank approves the proposal prepared by the department and releases the funds after completing the necessary formalities. Upon completion of the construction, the subsidy is transferred to the beneficiary’s account via DBT based on the completion certificate. In the case of a loan, the subsidy is transferred to the beneficiary through the bank.
• Technical assistance from the department is available at any time. If required, beneficiaries are also provided with free training. For fish marketing, beneficiaries are free to sell their produce directly in the market or through UttaraFish, a fishery enterprise established by the department.

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