The Parliament on August 09, 2023, issued a press release regarding the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023 being passed by both houses of Parliament
The following salient features have been stated namely: -
• It states that the Amendment Act enables lakhs of small marginal aquaculture farmers to avoid the possible need for obtaining CRZ clearances from multiple agencies.
• It has removed imprisonment for a period of up to 3 years and imposed only a penalty in line with the principle of decriminalizing civil transgressions
• It ensures that no coastal aquaculture activity is left out of the ambit of the Act and operates in an environmentally compliant manner.
• It further states that Newer forms of environment-friendly coastal aquaculture such as cage culture, seaweed culture, etc can be taken up in coastal areas and mostly within CRZ.
• It aims to promote ease of doing business in coastal aquaculture by fine-tuning some of the operational procedures of the Coastal Aquaculture Authority.
• It also provides for condoning the delay in applying for renewal of registration with compounded fee which was absent in the principal Act.
• It aims to create facilities that produce genetically improved and disease-free stocks for use in coastal aquaculture. Facilities Such as Hatcheries, Broodstock Multiplication centers, and Nucleus Breeding Centers can be established only in areas having direct access to seawater.
[Press Release ID 1947213]
