The ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) is a premier research institute in India focused on freshwater aquaculture. CIFA operates under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Govt of India. The present Institute had its beginnings in the Pond Culture Division of the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI), established in Cuttack, Orissa on 23 February 1949. Later, the Freshwater Aquaculture Research and Training Centre (FARTC) established over 147 ha campus at Kausalyaganga, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, which evolved into the independent Institute (CIFA) in 1987. ICAR-CIFA is a “Lead Centre for Carp Farming in India” within the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) operative under Food and Agriculture Organisation of United Nation (FAO). The institute's main objective is to conduct research and develop technologies to enhance freshwater aquaculture productivity, ensuring food security and self-sufficiency in fish production in the country. ICAR-CIFA is working on technology development for breeding, seed production, and grow-out culture of important cultivable freshwater finfishes and shellfishes. Also working on the development of genetically improved finfish and shellfish varieties, the development of new breeds, quantitative genetics, transgenic, proteomics, genomics, functional genomics, and bioinformatics, Marker-Assisted Selection programme for carp and freshwater prawn. Application of probiotics, herbals in aquaculture, immunomodulation in fish, maternal immunity in carps and its role in seed survival, Vaccine technology, gene editing/CRISPR for new traits development, cell culture techniques in fish, a repository of pathogenic bacteria and immuno- diagnostic reagents, Anti-Microbial Resistance and nanotechnology applications in aquaculture. Also conducts research on alternate technology transfer models such as Aquaculture Field Schools, the extent of adoption of the Institute's new and improved technologies, aquaculture value chain, digital outreach approaches, geo-spatial applications. Agri Business Incubator of the section involves in the entrepreneurship development activities in aquaculture and allied activities.