Mumbai, Feb 24 (Reporter) Maharashtra Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane asserted on Monday that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is important for strengthening maritime security and increasing fish production. While interacting with students working on AI technology at Mantralaya, he said that the current era is the era of AI technology. To increase fish production and marine security are priorities of the department, he pointed. Highlighting there are two distinct areas of fishing -- marine and freshwater, the minister asked students to use AI to augment productivity in both the sectors. He also asked students to find ways to bolster maritime security using information gathered from drones. Rane also instructed students to prepare a detailed presentation on making the department self-sufficient by increasing the revenue, solving problems in fisheries business, development of ports, solving some errors in the implementation, making entire administration of the department transparent and using AI technology to make the work of the department more effective by increasing the efficiency of the officers, he added. The minister also suggested the students to develop AI technology keeping in mind different needs of each district...////...