RAS question
The Marine Fisheries Census 2025, India's first fully digital fisheries census, covers how many marine fishing villages?
Correct answer: (B) 4,000.
The Marine Fisheries Census 2025 covers 4,000 marine fishing villages across India.
Explanation
The Marine Fisheries Census 2025 covers 4,000 marine fishing villages, making option B the supported answer. The PIB release describes it as a 45-day nationwide enumeration, scheduled from November 3 to December 18, covering over 12 lakh fisher households in nine coastal States and four Union Territories. Its importance lies not only in scale but also in method: the release calls it the first fully digitised data collection in Indian fisheries. CMFRI-developed mobile applications, VyAS Bharat and VyAS Sutra, support real-time data collection, geo-referencing and instant verification, so the census is tied to digital and data-driven fisheries governance rather than a routine paper survey.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 2,500 understates the coverage, because the verified PIB release gives the census coverage as 4,000 marine fishing villages.
- (C) 6,000 overstates the coverage; the cited release specifies 4,000 villages, not a higher village count.
- (D) 8,000 is double the verified figure and is not supported by the PIB release on the Marine Fisheries Census 2025.
Concept
This tests current developments in science, technology and governance, especially digital data systems used in public administration. It recurs in RAS because fisheries, coastal livelihoods and digital governance schemes often appear as fact-based current-affairs questions.