PRAYAGRAJ, July 7 -- In a bid to uplift the fishing community at the grassroots level, a major livelihood initiative focused on the rivers of Prayagraj is set to be rolled out. According to officials, the district's extensive network of perennial rivers-Ganga, Yamuna, Tons, Belan, and Mansaitha-will be developed into a sustainable source of income for local fisherfolk. Officials added that the initiative seeks to empower traditional fishing communities by promoting fishery cooperative societies. These cooperatives are being directly linked to employment opportunities, ensuring access to both resources and financial assistance. To support this effort, the government will auction fishing rights along 187 kilometers of river stretches in the district. The auction process-set to begin in July-will cover 35 designated river segments across seven tehsils, informed Pradeep Kumar, chief executive officer of the fishermen development agency, Prayagraj. Only registered fishery cooperative societies will be allowed to participate, giving local fishermen, fish farmers, and rural workers the legal right to harvest and sell fish from these sections, he added. In the move aimed at transforming the lives of local fisherfolk, multiple river sections across various tehsils have been identified for fisheries development. In Bara Tehsil, six sections have been marked in the Yamuna; in Handia, two sections in the Ganga; in Koraon, three in the Belan and one in the Tons have been earmarked. Likewise, Phulpur Tehsil has four sections in the Ganga and one each in the Varuna and Mansaita rivers. In Karachhana, four sections each have been identified in the Tons and Ganga, and two in the Yamuna. In Sadar tehsil, two sections have been designated in the Yamuna, while Meja has four in the Tons and one in the Ganga. These designated river stretches range in length from 1.5 to 8 kilometers, shared the official. To bring significant improvement to the lives of fisherfolk, the state government has selected several fisheries cooperative societies. According to Pradeep Kumar, CEO of the Fishermen development Agency-Prayagraj, the district has a fisherfolk population of over 51,000. So far, 51 fisheries cooperative societies have been selected to connect them with livelihood opportunities. Currently, the district has around 13,500 fish farmers, including 2,500 leaseholders, 1,000 private fish farmers, and over 10,000 boatmen. In addition to employment, efforts have been made to ensure their social security through insurance coverage. Over 8,000 fish farmers in the district have already been insured under this initiative, said officials....