By Firstdespatch Desk Jan 21, 2025
Agartala, Jan 21 (FD) Tripura on Tuesday celebrated its 53rd statehood day through a colourful programme at the Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan, where Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha was the Chief Guest.
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath greeted the people of the state on the occasion.
Chief Minister in his speech said that the state was developing in a high speed and it was benefitting from the double engine government for years and the state recorded second highest Gross state Domestic Product (GSDP) in the north eastern region.
“Now Tripura is developing in a rapidly and the state has now become a front runner, fast moving state according to a NITI Ayog report. Our GDP and the sustainable growth recorded the second among the north eastern states”, he said.
He further said that the centre was sending all kinds of assistance when the state is in trouble.
“A flood devastated our state in the month of the last September and the centre helped us generously to tide over our problems at that time. When there was trouble in Manipur in May 2023, the civil aviation minister sent special flights to bring back those students”, he added.
Explaining the economic situation, Chief Minister said that when the budget of the state is pegged at 2700 crores and the state’s own revenue stands at 3700 crores, which is not enough to run a state, but getting continuous support from the centre in different schemes, which help us tiding over the problems.
“After meeting all the non-plan expenditures, only Rs. 10,000 crore remains in the hand of the state government for developments. Of these funds we need to allocate 25 percent funds to the Tripura Tribal Areas Development Council (TTAADC) and about 10 percent to the Urban Local Bodies. However, despite all these constraints, we continue our development works as the state continue to get funds under centrally sponsored schemes”, he said.
Saha said, a group of people were trying to create unrest in the state.
“There were attempts to create trouble at Gandacherra in Dhalai district, Kaiturbari in West Tripura district and Kadamtala in North Tripura districts. But with the help of the people the state has managed to tide over all the problems”, he said.
The erstwhile princely states of Tripura merged into the Indian Union in October 1949 and became full-fledged states on January 21, 1972. FD JK