India, Aug. 13 -- A parliamentary panel has criticised the Union government's flagship welfare support for traditional fisherfolk, noting that only about 2.1% or 595,000 of the country's estimated 28 million fishers received financial assistance during the annual fishing ban between 2020 and 2025.

An annual 61-day fishing ban is enforced along India's coastal waters to protect fish during their peak breeding and spawning seasons. The period differs for the country's east and west coasts.

The Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing said the performance of the livelihood and nutritional support component under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) was "dismally low", despite the scheme being inte...