By Firstdespatch Desk Jul 28, 2024
Agartala, July 28 (FD) Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, attended the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting in New Delhi on Saturday, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Dr. Saha emphasized the importance of the meeting's deliberations and decisions in strengthening cooperative federalism across the country.
In his address, Dr. Saha shared the state’s ambitious Vision Document, "LAKSHYA 2047," aimed at transforming Tripura into a fully developed state. He outlined several transformative steps taken to enhance connectivity, including positioning Tripura as the gateway to the Northeast through the Prime Minister's HIRA Plus Model and improving capital expenditure for ease of doing business and living. Notably, the state has introduced e-office systems up to the Gram Panchayat level and the Beneficiary Management System (BMS) to facilitate Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for state-run welfare schemes.
Dr. Saha also highlighted the establishment of the Good Governance Department and the State Institution for Transformation (SIT) in alignment with NITI Aayog's mandate. Addressing the industry and investment sector, he stated the government's focus on reducing workforce dependency on agriculture by 50%, increasing trade and commerce with Bangladesh and other Indian states to Rs 1 lakh crore, and boosting tourism's contribution to the GSDP to 15% by 2047.
In infrastructure, communication, and logistics, the government aims to irrigate 80% of agricultural land and provide four-lane road connectivity to key destinations. For the environment, forest, and climate change sector, Dr. Saha discussed plans to quintuple the value of forest produce, enhance very dense forest cover to 40%, and increase the GSDP contribution from these areas to 25%. Additionally, the government aims to expand water bodies in forest areas by 2.5 times and develop the agar-wood economy to Rs 10,000 crore.
In governance, Dr. Saha emphasized making Tripura a digital society. The state has taken steps to promote industrial investment through the "Tripura Industrial Investment Promotion Incentive Scheme" and ensure ease of doing business via the "SWAGATPORTAL" online single-window system.
Dr. Saha also shared initiatives for promoting tourism and skill development, including 19 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) established based on industry input through the PM Vishwakarma and Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gramin Kaushal Yojana (DDUGKY).
Highlighting women empowerment, he noted 33% reservations for women in state government jobs, collateral-free loans for women startups, and reduced stamp duty for property registration. Other initiatives include no tuition fees for girls in government degree colleges, mobilizing 4.71 lakh rural women into self-help groups, and establishing 'Pink toilets' for women and girls in urban areas.
Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, 82% of households now have access to clean drinking water, and 471 innovative schemes have been introduced in challenging terrains. In healthcare, the number of MBBS seats has doubled, with new facilities like the Agartala Government Dental College and Nursing College, and the launch of nine super-speciality facilities. The government has also facilitated kidney transplants and provided Ayushman Bharat and CM-JAY cards to millions.
Dr. Saha outlined educational initiatives such as the 'Bachhar Bachao' scheme for state board candidates, the CM-Sath scheme, 'Super-30', 'NIPUN', Tinkering Labs, ICT in schools, and vocational education.
In the power sector, the Tripura Power Distribution Strengthening and Generation Efficiency Project is underway, with electrification efforts benefiting thousands of households, including those in the Reang community under the Bru settlement program.
Dr. Saha concluded by expressing confidence in achieving the vision of 'Viksit Bharat' and 'Ek Tripura Shrestha Tripura' under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, reaffirming the commitment to cooperative federalism and the state's development. FD SB