National Platform for Small Scale Fish Workers

The National Platform for Small Scale Fish Workers (NPSSFW) was constituted in 2016 (see Concept Note and Report of founding conference) as a united forum of small scale fish workers’ organizations in India. [From September 2016 to September 2020 it was named as National Platform for Small Scale Fish Workers (Inland) with its primary focus on inland fisheries. With time many organisations of small scale fish workers from coastal and island States or Union Territories of India joined the Platform. Besides that and more importantly, NPSSFW and its partner organisations had to intervene on policy and livelihood issues pertaining to both inland and marine fisheries to protect the rights and entitlements of small scale fish workers. The member organisations also raised the demand to officially include marine fisheries in the organisational fold of the Platform. Eventually the National Council of the Platform took the decision to change the name of the Platform to the National Platform for Small Scale Fish Workers (NPSSFW) and issued notice to that effect.  

NPSSFW had raised the demand for a National Policy on Inland Fisheries from its very inception. Following which the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (the then nodal ministry for fisheries) constituted an Expert Committee to prepare a Draft National Policy for Inland Fisheries. In 2017 the platform had been able to come out with a comprehensive position paper on the National Policy for Inland Fisheries through a rigorous exercise of study and discussions among fishing community representatives and activists from 10 states of the country(see Report). The policy recommendations were submitted to the Expert Committee and well recognized by them. The National Platform also participated in the National Workshop to Finalize the Draft National Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy on 26-27 April 2018 in Mumbai. The National Platform organized first ever consultative meeting with civil society organizations on Livelihood Issues of Inland Fishworkers (see Report) on 10th July 2018 in Delhi. NPSSFW had moved the Government in the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare a number of times to publish the draft National Policy on Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture for public comments before finalization. This resulted in publication of the draft National Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy (NIFAP) in February 2019. NPSSFW submitted its comments on the draft NIFAP immediately after its publication.

NPSSFW, convened a Press Conference in the national capital on the eve of the General Elections 2019 and issued a Press Statement to urge upon all political parties to support the fishing communities’ right to water and water bodies. It also reviewed the election manifestos of Congress and BJP from the standpoint of small scale fish workers.

NPSSFW adopted the Mission Statement for Small Scale Fish Workers Consolidation as its guiding policy document in its 4th Annual Conference (see Report) in 2019. Together with it resolutions were taken on Small Scale Fishers’ & Fish Farmers Right to Water Bodies and Climate Crisis.

NPSSFW in its relentless effort to protect and promote the interests of the small scale fish worker communities intervened in national policy matters like Coastal Regulation Zone Notification (through DMF), National Marine Fisheries (Regulation & Management) Bill (through DMF – 3 comments on 3 consecutive drafts), NFDB Bill, Draft National Mariculture Policy, Recycling of Ships Act 2019, India’s participation in RCEP and International Free Trade Negotiations, WTO Negotiations on Fisheries Subsidies, Draft Social Security Code and Review of Annual budget from small scale fish workers’ interest.

The Corona Virus (Covid-19) pandemic threw up the challenge of protecting the life and livelihood of Small Scale Fish Workers. Issuing advisories for safe work in fisheries; urging the Government of India as well as the State and UT Governments for necessary relaxations to resume the work in fisheries; demanding livelihood compensation and occupational support for fish workers; maintaining continuous vigil for the upkeep and return of migrant fish workers to their homes – the challenges addressed by NPSSFW have been enormous.

In the post Corona lockdown scenario NPSSFW made submissions on both the earlier Draft National Fisheries Policy 2020 and the latest (6th) Draft National Fisheries Policy 2020. NPSSFW also moved the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture requesting examination of the Demand of Grants (2021-22) of the Department of Fisheries in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying to safeguard the interests of Small Scale Fish Workers and protect fish resources. NPSSFW also submitted its Comments on the Draft National Framework for India’s Blue Economy.

NPSSFW, alongwith taking up policy issues, is engaged in awareness and capacity building of the small scale fish workers to protect both their livelihood and its natural resource base. The National Platform for Small Scale Fish Workers works to help the fishing communities access the rights and entitlements provided to them by the Government and also to raise and push forward with further needs as and when required.

NPSSFW represents the collective struggles of small scale fish workers from the Loktak Lake of Manipur to the estuarine waters of Goa; from the coastal waters of Indian mainland to the Islands of Andaman & Nicobar; from the Wullar Lake of Kashmir to the marine and backwaters of Kerala; from the reservoirs of Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to the rivers of Assam, Tripura, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh; including the coastal and inland waters of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.  

SAVE WATER, SAVE FISH, SAVE FISHER PEOPLE.

Concept Note for Founding Conference of NPSSFW(I)