Small-scale inland fisheries in India employ over 2.3 million people and underpin food security and rural livelihoods, yet they face mounting pressures from overfishing, habitat loss, climate change, and weak regulation. These fisheries depend on rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, and floodplains, and rely on traditional techniques and limited capital. State policies are crucial for their management, but their effectiveness varies: Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal have adopted community-based management, tenure rights, and sustainability measures, while other states lack up-to-date, comprehensive frameworks. This patchwork leads to uneven resource stewardship, poor enforcement, and the marginalization of fishing communities. Many laws remain disconnected from national priorities and overlook traditional knowledge, emerging threats such as pollution and market integration, and gender equity. Strengthening governance will require co-management models, secure customary rights, ecosystem-based approaches, and better coordination with the National Fisheries Policy 2020 and Sustainable Development Goals. A unified, inclusive, and science-driven state policy framework is essential to safeguard livelihoods, preserve ecosystems, and build climate-resilient rural communities.