Self Employment Programme:- 
During the year 2003-04, it was targeted to provide self-employment to 2200 nos. person and wage employment to 5868 nos. of persons through different fisheries sectoral programmes, against the said target the achievement was 2343 nos. and 8368 nos. respectively.

Janashree Bima Yojana:- 
For the first time in the year 2002-03, the Department has implemented “Janashree Bima Yojana” of LIC of India in every Block of the State. During 2003-04 8462 nos. of fishermen have been enrolled under the scheme and 62 nos. of fishermen have been benefited under this scheme.

Step for Women Programme:
An innovative project is being implemented in the marine fishery sector in 4 districts – Balasore, Bhadrak, Puri and Ganjam of the State. The project envisages involving 3000 fisherwomen from lower income group by organising them in to 45 Cooperatives and by providing facilities for training in the preparation of hygienic dry fish and value added fish products. The scheme Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP) is a scheme of Department for Women & Child Development, Government of India. The said Department will provide 90% of the project cost as Grant-in-aid and the rest is borne by the implementing Agencies – OPDC Ltd, FFDAs.

The project was started during the year 2003-04 after receipt of 1st instalment of Rs. 53.94 lakhs as Grant – in aid from GoI and was launched by the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Orissa on 29th April 2003. Integrated training was organised by the FFDAs through a GoI Institute – the Integrated Fishery Project (IFP), Kochi. During the year 2003-04 a total of 18 Cooperatives have been organised having involvement of 1559 fisherwomen members.

By this intervention under the project the marine fisherwomen of Ganjam District have become more enthusiastic after they have been associated in the STEP project. We may take the case of one such Society participating in the project – Maa Gangadevi Primary Fisherwomen Fish Marketing Cooperative Society having a membership of 165 fisherwomen. Each and every member of the Society were involved actively with full concentration, learned and implemented the procedures introduced to them through practical classes by the resource persons. They prepared hygienic dry fish and could realise how inferior methods they followed previously resulting in loss. Smt. K. Gouramma, the president of the said Fisherwomen Cooperative in her version relates that “I have never imagined that being a woman like me can make an endeavour in some other activities other than cooking and looking after children.” She further related that she alongwith her other co-members of the Society will eradicate the old crude methods and adopt new ones for getting better price for up-liftment of their socio-economic standards. This clearly envisages that these fisherwomen of a remote coastal village in Ganjam District are empowered through the livelihood intervention under the STEP scheme by the Department of Fisheries field officials.