Apart from agriculture, forest produce, farmers are getting involved in self-employment oriented activities for the benefit of government schemes. Under the development block Darbha of the district, a 10-member men’s fishermen group of village Badekdma, under the leadership of Mr. Sukhram Baghel, is doing fish farming in 1.56 hectare of Zaru pond. Mr. Sukharam Baghel said that the fishermen group Badekadma was formed by forming a group of 10 tribal men living below the poverty line. Prior to the formation of the group, the members of the group used to do farming and harvesting in the land available with them. After getting the information related to fisheries on contact with the fisheries department officer, the members of the group started taking up fish work by leasing the available pond in the village panchayat.
The demonstration unit was set up through the said group by the Fisheries Department in the year 2016-17 through the allocation received for setting up demonstration unit for fisheries from the District Mineral Institute Trust Fund in which they were given fish seeds, supplementary food, fishery equipment and ice The box has been supplied. The groups are doing fish farming through departmental technical guidance and training.
The group has experimented in a scientific way and is getting economic benefits by taking maximum fish production. In the financial year 2018-19, the group has sold more than two lakh 89 thousand rupees in the financial year 2018-19, and in the financial year 2019-20, fisheries production tax of Rs 03 lakh 42 thousand 600 has been sold. Similarly, in the financial year 2020-21, till the month of December, one lakh 20 thousand rupees were sold. Proceeds from fisheries have been purchased by the members of the group for their domestic use and houses have been repaired and some houses have been built, some members have purchased motor cycles as per the requirement.