https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Making A Derelict U.P. Department, Number One In The Country

Indian Masterminds Stories

Fisheries in landlocked Uttar Pradesh has always been very low profile business. The department has been with lowest budget in the state – a meager Rs 450 crore. But, where there’s a will, there’s a way. The 2012-batch IAS officer Prashant Sharma and his team have made the state’s fisheries department, number one in the country in the inland fisheries category and that too in just over a year under the stewardship of 1988-batch IAS officer Rajneesh Dubey who is Additional Chief Secretary of this department.

Indian Masterminds spoke exclusively to Mr Sharma, the present Director of Fisheries & MD U.P. Fisheries Development Corporation Limited, to find out how he created the miracle. They have raised the production has increased from last year’s 8.09 lakh metric tonnes to 9.15 lakh metric tonnes this year. The fish seeds’s production too grew from last year’s 27,128 lakh metric tonnes to 36,187 lakh metric tonnes this year.

Ponds in U.P. are spread across 3 lakh hectares area. Most of them are fed by river or canals. Rain-fed ponds are few in numbers that’s why fisheries here is least affected by rains or lack of it.

Uttar Pradesh Fisheries Minister, Mr Sanjay Nishad, ACS Rajneesh Dubey and IAS Prashant Sharma Receiving the Award

THE PROBLEMS

“The departments not considered important, get less attention. That is why you would see problems everywhere. But if you are willing to slug it out, you can bring about a change. That’s what I did,” he said.

Mr Sharma after taking charge last year boosted the employees’ morale. They were always in holiday mood. They did not even get LTC (Leave Travel Concession). “I worked on all these aspects. I motivated them to strike a work-life balance and it paid off”, he told Indian Masterminds.

TECHNOLOGY

The use of technology was minimal in the department. Most of the work was being done manually. Being a software engineer, he digitized the processes eliminating human interface. He made all the schemes online increasing making process and procedure transparent.

Earlier, the allotment of ponds used to be on ‘first come first get’ basis. Now its done though computer-based lottery system. For better results the allotment has been decentralized to the district level. At mere press of a button by the District Magistrate (DM), the lottery takes place. The allottees get a system-generated message and while some others are put on the waiting list.

Prashant being a software engineer, has himself created an app ‘Matsya Mitra’ for the department. The app having complete information regarding ‘fish farming’ was launched only 3 days ago. The app, provides a personalized calendar to a farmer providing him information about fish farming according to different season. It also sends timely reminder for all activities through SMS and app notifications.

He has already received the National e-governance award for creating another app ‘Chikitsa Setu’.

BUDGET

Government of India has an annual budget for every state for different schemes. The state government also provide the department with their own budgetary provisions.UP fisheries department was running Central schemes for past several many years. But Mr Prashant started 6 new schemes in the last 14 months and got the budget increased for them. “Formulating schemes and getting budgetary support for them is the most difficult task, because the process passes through many levels from the central to the state government. But we made it possible,” he says.

UP Fisheries Department’s budget of Rs 450 crore has almost been doubled with Central government alone contributing Rs 350 crore this year.

IAS Prashant Sharma (second from right), the man who changed fisheries department in UP

INFRASTRUCTURE

The department’s infrastructure was in bad condition. Many ponds of departments were closed for years. Many had even been captured by the mafia. But Mr Prashant launched a special campaign to rejuvenate the ponds before being given on rent or lease to poor fishermen. They get a job and sustain their families. The department also generated income worth crores from it. Uttar Pradesh Fisheries Development Corporation’s profit increased by 185 percent.

The department has a Fish Hatchery in Lucknow for supplies to the entire state. But this hatchery was also in tatters, after falling to the land mafia. Prashant got its 42 year-old records extracted from DM office, freed this Hatchery and got its boundary constructed. Then it was converted into a modern hatchery at a cost of Rs 2 crore. He has received an award from the government for this achievement.

QUALITY MONITORING

The responsibility of setting the standards of goods in the country lies with the Quality Council of India (QCI), which works under the Ministry of Commerce. Fisheries Department has signed an MoU with QCI so that the latter will monitor quality of fish feed and seeds in the state. A world-class lab is also being built in the state to improve the quality of all fish-based products.

Chitla is the state fish of UP. In common language it is called Chital. It grows up to 4 feet tall. But the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) some time ago declared chital was in critically endangered category.

Prashant started a campaign to save He got one lakh chital fingerlings from West Bengal for upstream of Ganga and Yamuna rivers. This is expected to enhance chital population whole also improving rivers’ ecology.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Odisha Government
Odisha Elevates Two Promising IFS Officers to Senior Time Scale, Strengthening Forest Leadership - Know More About Them
Yogi Adityanath UP
Uttar Pradesh Floods: CM Yogi Adityanath Forms ‘Team-11’ for Swift and Transparent Flood Relief Across 12 Districts
DGR Job Fair
DGR Job Fair 2025 Held in Delhi to Empower Ex-Servicemen with Career Opportunities in Emerging Tech - Details Inside
omc
Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) Begins Dispatch from Dubna Mines, Strengthening Supply Chain and Industrial Growth
NFDC
NFDC Launches Free Residential 3D Animation & VFX Training for North East Youth - Here's All You Need To Know
CM Yogi
CM Yogi Adityanath Reviews Rs. 42,891 Crore Development Proposals for Lucknow Division, Emphasizes Timely, Inclusive Execution
Mahanadi River
Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai Assures Odisha of Consideration on an Amicable Solution to Mahanadi Water Dispute
MP News
Madhya Pradesh CM Dr. Mohan Yadav Pays Tribute to Pt. Ravishankar Shukla on His Birth Anniversary
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
How IAS Karn Satyarthi Transformed Gumla Through Empathy and Innovation
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s Take on Corruption, Reform, and Duty
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
What Most Indians Don't Know About Jim Corbett
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
BPSC Bihar police
From Lantern Light to Police Uniform: How Praveen Kumar from a Small Bihar Village Cracked BPSC to Become SDPO
From a lantern-lit village in Bihar to becoming an SDPO, Praveen Kumar's journey is a testament to resilience,...
IAS Priyansha Garg
Why Mindset Matters: IAS Priyansha Garg’s Mental Health Mantra for UPSC
After two failed prelims, Priyansha Garg cracked UPSC with AIR 31 in her fourth attempt, proving how...
Ashish Akshat
From Setback to State Topper: How Ashish Akshat Topped JPSC While Working Full-Time
Ashish Akshat from Dhanbad topped JPSC 2023, proving that resilience, discipline, and family support...
Social Media
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve: From India’s First Sanctuary to a Tiger Conservation Success Story | International Tiger Day Special
IAS Supriya Sahu Hails Mudumalai's Role in Tiger Conservation on Tiger Day. Declared in 1940, Now Among...
Mangroves
Mangroves: Nature’s Shield Against Disasters, Says Officer Parveen Kaswan on Mangroves Day - Watch His Post Here
Mangroves, with their dense, interlaced root systems, form a mesh-like structure that serves as a buffer...
Retired IPS Inderjit Singh Sidhu
Purpose Doesn’t Retire: How 88-Year-Old Retired DIG Becomes Chandigarh’s ‘Quiet Warrior’ of Cleanliness
Inderjit Singh Sidhu’s Dawn Patrol Earns Applause, Mahindra’s Praise for a Man Who Chose Action Over...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Odisha Government
Odisha Elevates Two Promising IFS Officers to Senior Time Scale, Strengthening Forest Leadership - Know More About Them
Yogi Adityanath UP
Uttar Pradesh Floods: CM Yogi Adityanath Forms ‘Team-11’ for Swift and Transparent Flood Relief Across 12 Districts
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT