Blue Economy and Viksit Bharat 2047:  Assessing the Economic Contribution of Inland Fisheries to Rural GDP Growth and Livelihood Sustainability in Himalayan Regions

Neelam Gaur; Pankaj Bhatt

Blue Economy and Viksit Bharat 2047: Assessing the Economic Contribution of Inland Fisheries to Rural GDP Growth and Livelihood Sustainability in Himalayan Regions

Author(s)	Ms. Neelam Gaur, Mr. Pankaj Bhatt
Country	India
Abstract	The Blue Economy has become an important framework to support sustainable economic development by means of responsible use of aquatic resources. In this respect, inland fisheries can be viewed as a valuable sector that can assist in the rural economic development, the livelihood sustainability, and food security. This paper discusses the role of inland fisheries towards rural GDP growth and livelihood sustainability in Himalayan areas in the context of Viksit Bharat 2047 development vision. The study will be quantitative, using primary survey data of 384 fish farmers in a multi-stage sampling method with secondary fisheries statistics. To analyze the trends of fish production, household income generation, employment creation, and livelihood sustainability, descriptive statistics and economic estimation models were used. The findings suggest that inland fisheries in the research region are mostly small scale and medium scale enterprises, with 41.8 percent of farmers earning 5001000 kg of fish per year. Fisheries serve as an important source of additional income, with 41.1% of households having an annual fisheries income of ₹50, 000-100, 000. The economic worth of fisheries production in the surveyed area was estimated to about ₹47.28 million, and this indicates the potential contribution of the sector to the rural economy. Further, fishing operations provided 599 workers with their employment, family, hired, and seasonal workers. The Livelihood Sustainability Index (LSI) analysis indicates that 54.9 percent of households are in the moderate category of sustainability of their livelihood and 24.8 percent of households have high livelihood sustainability. The results indicate that inland fisheries are important in boosting rural livelihoods and local economic growth in Himalayan areas. Enhancing the role of inland fisheries in rural GDP growth by strengthening fisheries infrastructure, encouraging sustainable practices in aquaculture, and improving market access can also serve to supplement the goals of the Blue Economy and Viksit Bharat 2047.
Keywords	Blue Economy; Inland Fisheries; Rural GDP Growth; Livelihood Sustainability; Himalayan Region; Aquaculture Development; Rural Employment; Viksit Bharat 2047
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 2, March-April 2026
Published On	2026-04-29

View / Download PDF File

E-ISSN 2582-2160

doi

CrossRef DOI prefix of IJFMR is 10.36948/ijfmr

Downloads

Research Paper Format Copyright Permission Form and Undertaking Form Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 4 Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 3 Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 2

All research papers published on this website are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, and all rights belong to their respective authors/researchers.

CC-BY-SA

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Blue Economy and Viksit Bharat 2047: Assessing the Economic Contribution of Inland Fisheries to Rural GDP Growth and Livelihood Sustainability in Himalayan Regions

Share this