If you already have a farm pond in Maharashtra, the state government will now pay for most of your first fish crop. Under the World Bank-assisted Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani Prakalp (PoCRA) phase 2, farmers in 7,201 villages across 21 districts can claim 60% of the cost if they belong to a Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe or are a woman farmer — and 40% for everyone else — for nets, bird nets, fingerlings, lime, fertiliser and feed for one crop of freshwater fish. The top payout is ₹45,305 for the largest pond size, and the smallest is ₹6,602.
The money is moving right now. On Tuesday, 6 October 2026, the Maharashtra Agriculture Department released ₹192.30 crore for PoCRA phase 2 in 2026-27 — and the fish-farming component is open for applications on the PoCRA DBT portal. There is no single closing date: you can apply any time while the project runs, which is 2025-26 to 2030-31.
PoCRA fish farming at a glance
| Scheme | Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani Prakalp (PoCRA) phase 2 — freshwater fish farming in farm ponds |
|---|---|
| Run by | Agriculture Department, Government of Maharashtra; World Bank-assisted |
| Where | 7,201 project villages in 21 districts of Maharashtra |
| What it pays for | Nets, bird net, fingerlings, lime, fertiliser and feed for one fish crop |
| Subsidy | 60% for SC, ST and women farmers; 40% for general-category farmers — of the printed cost or your actual cost, whichever is lower |
| Subsidy range | ₹6,602 to ₹45,305 depending on pond size and lining |
| Project period | 2025-26 to 2030-31 (six years) |
| Closing date | None — apply any time while the project runs |
| Where to apply | PoCRA DBT portal — dbt.mahapocra.gov.in |
₹192.30 crore released on 6 October 2026 — what the order actually says
The release is confirmed by the Maharashtra Government Resolution (शासन निर्णय) dated 6 October 2026, GR No. कृवपदुम-19046/31/2026/MAG-8A (E-1617975), published on maharashtra.gov.in (code 202610061205396746). It releases ₹192,30,41,200 to the Project Director, PoCRA, for phase 2 in 2026-27.
The same order sets out the full-year picture for 2026-27: a total budget provision of ₹474 crore — ₹309.40 crore from the Centre (70%) and ₹164.60 crore from the state (30%). Before this release, ₹281.48 crore had already been released under earlier orders. The project covers the 21 districts of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Beed, Jalna, Parbhani, Dharashiv, Latur, Nanded, Nagpur, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Hingoli, Amravati, Akola, Washim, Yavatmal, Buldhana, Wardha, Jalgaon and Nashik.
One honest note: ₹192.30 crore is for the whole of PoCRA phase 2 — climate-resilient agriculture across all its components — not for fish farming alone. No fish-farming-specific allocation has been published, and this post does not claim one. What the release does prove is that the project is funded and running in 2026-27, and the fish-farming component is live on the DBT portal.
How much can you claim? The official subsidy table
The rates come from the official PoCRA phase 2 guidelines for freshwater fish farming in farm ponds (प्रपत्र-१), based on the Assistant Commissioner of Fisheries’ letter of 12 August 2025. The subsidy is calculated on the printed cost for your pond size, or your actual cost if that is lower. The table below is for ponds with lining (अस्तरीकरणासह); ponds without lining cost slightly more overall because they need manure and fertiliser inputs, so their 60% payout runs higher — up to ₹45,305 for the largest size.
| Pond size (m) | Area | Total cost (lined) | 60% — SC/ST/women | 40% — general |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 × 15 × 3 | 0.0225 ha | ₹16,505 | ₹9,903 | ₹6,602 |
| 20 × 15 × 3 | 0.03 ha | ₹22,445 | ₹13,467 | ₹8,978 |
| 20 × 20 × 3 | 0.04 ha | ₹28,760 | ₹17,256 | ₹11,504 |
| 25 × 20 × 3 | 0.05 ha | ₹35,075 | ₹21,045 | ₹14,030 |
| 25 × 25 × 3 | 0.0625 ha | ₹41,765 | ₹25,059 | ₹16,706 |
| 30 × 25 × 3 | 0.075 ha | ₹48,455 | ₹29,073 | ₹19,382 |
| 30 × 30 × 3 | 0.09 ha | ₹55,520 | ₹33,312 | ₹22,208 |
| 24 × 24 × 4 | 0.0576 ha | ₹36,215 | ₹21,729 | ₹14,486 |
| 34 × 34 × 4.7 | 0.1156 ha | ₹68,990 | ₹41,394 | ₹27,596 |
Worked example: a woman farmer with a 25 × 20 × 3 m lined pond faces a printed cost of ₹35,075. Her 60% subsidy is ₹21,045, so she pays ₹14,030 herself. A general-category farmer with the same pond gets ₹14,030 and pays ₹21,045. For the biggest pond in the table — 34 × 34 × 4.7 m without lining, total cost ₹75,509 — the 60% payout reaches the maximum of ₹45,305.
Who can apply
- Landholding up to 5 hectares in one of the 7,201 PoCRA phase-2 project villages.
- You must already have a farm pond — your own or a community pond — and a working pump. The pond and the pump are not funded under this component.
- Your pond must hold water for at least 8–10 months of the year.
- Priority order: Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, women, disabled farmers, then others.
- You must not have already taken fish-farming help under any other scheme.
- Only one person per family can take the benefit, and you must commit to continuing the fish-farming activity for at least 5 years.
What fish to grow — and how the guidelines say to grow them
The guidelines recommend fast-growing species for farm ponds: catla, rohu and mrigal (the Indian major carps), along with silver carp, grass carp and common carp in composite culture. The technical norms in the guidelines are:
- Stocking: 5,000 to 10,000 fingerlings per hectare, assuming 80% survival when buying seed.
- Water: pH between 7 and 8.5, temperature 24–32°C; add lime if the pH needs correcting.
- Feed: rice bran, groundnut cake, mustard cake, soybean cake and wheat bran as supplementary feed; feed more heavily in the early growth phase and taper as growth slows.
- Manure and fertiliser: in unlined ponds, fresh cow dung followed by urea and single super phosphate to build natural food; lined ponds skip fertiliser and rely on supplementary feed instead.
- Marketing is your responsibility — the guidelines say the beneficiary must arrange sale of the harvested fish.
No yield or income figure is claimed in this post: the guidelines publish costs and subsidy rates, not a guaranteed harvest or price. Treat any income promise from an agent as a red flag.
How to apply — step by step
- Register on the PoCRA DBT portal at dbt.mahapocra.gov.in and submit your online application with the required documents.
- Your application is scrutinised by the Gram Krishi Vikas Samiti (GKVS) with help from the cluster assistant and Assistant Agriculture Officer, and checked by the Assistant Agriculture Officer (Desk-2), including a site visit and a check that you have not taken fish-farming help under another scheme.
- Get pre-sanction. If approved, the Taluka Agriculture Officer issues pre-sanction for the component.
- Act within 30 days of pre-sanction. Buy fingerlings — from a government fish-seed centre, or a private one at your own risk — plus feed and material, and complete the work. If you miss the 30-day window, the pre-sanction lapses.
- Claim on the DBT portal with self-attested original bills for fish seed, feed, fertiliser and material, plus geo-tagged photos through the DBT app. An officer then does a spot inspection before the subsidy is released.
- Keep the activity going for 5 years and maintain the component as per the guidelines — the subsidy can be stopped or recovered if false information is found or the activity is abandoned.
Applying is free. Never pay anyone to apply for you, and never hand your documents to an agent who promises a guaranteed approval — approval depends on the GKVS scrutiny and the site inspection, not on who files the form.
Why this matters for Maharashtra’s pond farmers
PoCRA was built for exactly the districts this component covers — the rainfed, drought-prone belt of Marathwada and Vidarbha, where a farm pond built for protective irrigation often sits idle for months. The scheme’s own logic is simple: the pond is already there, the water is already stored, and one crop of fish turns that idle water into a second income without a second plot of land. With the October 2026 fund release, the project has fresh money behind it for 2026-27, and the fish-farming window is open now — not tied to a single deadline that can be missed.
If your village is in the PoCRA list, the first step costs nothing: check your eligibility on the DBT portal and ask your cluster assistant or Assistant Agriculture Officer to confirm your pond qualifies. The 30-day clock only starts after pre-sanction, so there is no penalty for checking early — but there is a real penalty for waiting until after pre-sanction to buy seed.
Related reading
- NFDP Hits 39 Lakh Fishers: Get Your Digital ID Now — registration on the National Fisheries Digital Platform is the gateway to central scheme benefits, including PM-MKSSY.
- PMMSY Gives Fish Farmers 60% Subsidy in 2026 — the central flagship scheme’s 40–60% capital subsidy on ponds, hatcheries, RAS and biofloc.
- Bihar Pays 60% to Farm Pearls — ₹1.35 Lakh Off — another state scheme paying 60% — this time for freshwater pearl farming units.
- Sikkim Fish Farmers Get Organic SOP, ₹3.75 Lakh — India’s first certified organic fisheries cluster and what it means for hill farmers.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a last date to apply?
No single closing date is published in the guidelines. The project runs from 2025-26 to 2030-31, and you can apply any time on the PoCRA DBT portal while it runs. Confirm the current window with your District or Taluka Agriculture Officer before you apply.
Does the scheme pay for digging a new pond?
No. You must already have a farm pond and a pump. This component pays only for nets, bird net, fingerlings, lime, fertiliser and feed for one fish crop.
Can I apply if I already got fish-farming help from another scheme?
No. The guidelines bar anyone who has already taken fish-farming assistance under another scheme, and the same check is repeated at the Desk-2 site inspection.
What is the maximum subsidy I can get?
₹45,305 — that is 60% of the ₹75,509 printed cost for the largest pond in the table (34 × 34 × 4.7 m, without lining) for an SC, ST or woman farmer. The minimum is ₹6,602 (40% for the smallest lined pond).
Where do I apply?
On the PoCRA DBT portal at dbt.mahapocra.gov.in, or with help from your cluster assistant (Samuh Sahayyak) and Assistant Agriculture Officer.
Fact-check note (10 November 2026)
Every rate, date and figure in this post was checked on 10 November 2026 against the official Maharashtra Government Resolution dated 6 October 2026 (GR No. कृवपदुम-19046/31/2026/MAG-8A, ₹192,30,41,200 released; 2026-27 provision ₹474 crore; ₹281.48 crore released earlier; 7,201 villages, 21 districts; project 2025-26 to 2030-31) and the official PoCRA phase 2 guidelines for freshwater fish farming in farm ponds (subsidy table प्रपत्र-१, cost basis: Assistant Commissioner of Fisheries letter dated 12 August 2025; species, stocking, pH, temperature, 30-day rule, 5-year commitment). The 6 October 2026 weekday (Tuesday) was verified. No closing date is claimed because none is published in those sources. The ₹192.30 crore figure covers all of PoCRA phase 2, not fish farming alone — no fish-specific allocation is claimed. Official links: PoCRA DBT portal — dbt.mahapocra.gov.in · Maharashtra Government — maharashtra.gov.in (GR code 202610061205396746) · PMMSY portal — pmmsy.dof.gov.in · National Fisheries Digital Platform — nfdp.dof.gov.in.
Images in this post are illustrations created for this article.