According to officials, the “Secure Fishing App” was created by the governments of Odisha and the World Food Programme (WFP) in India to empower fishermen by giving them access to real-time information.
The dynamic mobile application, which was created by WFP in partnership with the department responsible for developing fisheries and animal resources in Odisha, aims to empower the state’s fishermen by also offering information, insights, and analytics that directly support their way of life.
It is a web-based dashboard used by government officials to monitor operations in the fishing sector with the goal of addressing the comprehensive needs of marine fishermen through well-informed decisions.
The state government positions the fisheries and aquaculture sectors as two of the growth engines for the more than 15.89 lakh fishermen, including farmers, women SHGs, young people, and entrepreneurs.
Additionally, the app gives fishermen access to vital, near-real-time personalised climate and ocean state information services, which lessens their vulnerability, boosts their income, and aids in achieving food security.
Since coastal fishing communities are among the most vulnerable, the Secure Fishing App focuses on enhancing their safety, resiliency, and daily catch. The fisheries department personnel will also find the application to be very helpful, according to R P Swain, the minister of agriculture and farmer empowerment in Odisha, on Friday.
According to Bishow Parajuli, representative and country director for WFP in India, the app is a strategic relationship that will directly assist to enhancing resilience via knowledge and technology while securing a livelihood.
It is being used as a pilot in Paradip and will then be made available to the state’s maritime fishermen. According to S K Vashishth, secretary for the fisheries and animal resources departments, “the context-specific capabilities of the programme will help the fisherfolk save their life and their belongings and improve their livelihoods.”
