Assessment of socio-economic impacts of fisheries development programs on the livelihood of fish farmers in Jharkhand

India’s fisheries sector, contributing 1.1% to national GDP in 2020–2021, and inland production reach 121.21 lakh tonnes, with Jharkhand adding 2.57 lakh tonnes through scientific aquaculture initiatives for rural livelihoods. This study assesses the socio-economic impacts of Jharkhand’s key schemes, viz., Cage Culture Vistar AvumSudradhikaran Yojana (CCVASY), Riverine Fish Farming Yojana (RFFY), and Seed Grower Yojana (SGY) in Ranchi, Hazaribagh, and Khunti districts. Beneficiaries experienced significant income gains: ₹185,767.54 ($2119.66) for CCVASY, ₹24,065.11 ($274.59) for RFFY, and ₹167,533.67 ($1911.60) for SGY, with difference-in-differences analysis confirming superior increases over non-beneficiaries. These schemes boosted interpersonal skills, job opportunities, and livelihoods via scientific methods. Logistic regression highlighted age, education, and experience as drivers of cage culture adoption and age and education for riverine farming and seed growing. Cage culture proved most lucrative, yielding ₹144,000 ($1643.08) to ₹450,000 ($5134.62) annually. Government schemes transform rural Jharkhand by elevating incomes, modernizing aquaculture, and fostering sustainable growth, a replicable model for inclusive progress, with recommendations for training, inputs, and cage culture scaling.