Jyothi Lakra, 41, was once part of a Naxalite group before abandoning the Left-wing insurgency in 2002. Today, he runs a fish feed mill that earned him Rs 8,00,000 in net profit last year under the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme.
“There were no shops selling fish feed nearby. Villagers had to travel 150 km to buy fish feed,” said Lakra, who received Rs 18 lakh grant to set up his mill in Gumla district’s Basia block. “So I decided to set up a fish feed mill,” he told PTI.
The PMMSY scheme, launched in 2020-21 with joint central and state implementation, has trained 157 individual beneficiaries in Gumla district over four years. About 25 per cent of the 8,000-9,000 families in the district now engaged in fish farming were former Naxalite supporters or participants, according to District Fishery Officer Kusumlata.
Gumla district was removed from the Union Home Ministry’s list of Naxalite-affected areas in May 2025, alongside Ranchi district, marking a significant decline in Left-wing extremism in the region.
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