Programme Area 100
Five detailed project reports (DPRs) were prepared and submitted to the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) under the World Bank–supported Enhancing Coastal and Ocean Resource Efficiency (ENCORE) program (ICZM second phase). A coastal village resource centre has been established at Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, with the support of Mitsubishi Corporation, Japan. A Mangrove Genetic Resources Conservation Centre (MGRCC) was established in the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary with 25 mangrove species collected from the east and west coasts of India for conserving rare and endemic species. Cage culture of sea bass was initiated in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, to enhance the adaptive capacity of the coastal community to sea-level rise. Fish for all Research and Training Centre (FRTC), Poompuhar, Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu, established with the support of the Jamsetji Tata Trust and the Tata Education Trust, completed 10 years of service in providing training and capacity building in fishery resources management, disaster preparedness and sustainable livelihood options; the centre commemorated the event on 26 December 2019 by signing memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR), Lucknow, and the Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, Parangipettai, for collaborative research. FRTC initiated a new fishery improvement programme for Penaeus semisulcatus (flower shrimp) to promote sustainable fisheries in the Palk bay region. The Fisher Friend Mobile Application (FFMA) received the Mini Innovation Challenge Award from Global Resilience Partnership (GRP), Kenya. The Pest disease Advance Notification and Need-based Agriculture Information (PANNAI) app, developed to provide GIS-based forewarning for pest management in agricultural crops, and a GeoAgri portal were launched on 5 November 2019 by Mr R. B. Udhayakumar, Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management and Information Technology, and Mr R. Doraikannu, Minister for Agriculture, government of Tamil Nadu, respectively. The PANNAI app connects nearly 10000 farmers with agricultural scientists to manage crop pests and diseases. The holistic rural development initiative in Kuttanad made progress.
