FM Sitharaman promises Rs 1,300 crore development package for Tripura tribal areas

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday promised that a Rs 1,300-crore project for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure Development for Tripura’s Tribal areas would be cleared within the next 10 days.

Addressing a programme after inaugurating some 11 projects at Mohanpur, about 50 km from here, Sitharaman said the Rs 1,300-crore project with World Bank funding would ensure all-around development in the Tribal areas.

The tribals form one-third of the state’s population.

In recent elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council, the ruling BJP and its allies were trounced by the newly formed Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance led by a former royal, Pradyot Kishore Deb Barman, causing alarms about the future prospects of the ruling alliance.

She also announced that two other projects worth over Rs 21 crore were cleared by the Centre on Friday morning itself.

The two projects include -- widening of state highways (Rs 14.15 crore) and various works in the capital city (7.4 crore).

The Union Finance Minister, who arrived in Tripura on a two-day visit, besides inaugurating local projects worth Rs 189 crore, also reviewed the status of ongoing Externally-Aided Projects (EAPs).

Besides, Sitharaman the review meeting was also attended by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, Chief Secretary Kumar Alok and other senior officials.

According to a tweet from Sitharaman’s office, the EAPs include Project for Sustainable Catchment Forest Management in Tripura (funding by Japan Internal Cooperation Agency), Tripura Urban and Tourism Development Project (funded by Asian Development Bank) and North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (funded by World Bank).

These projects are meant for the overall development of the state cutting across areas like education, health, communication, infrastructure, power and livelihood support.

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb in a social media post also said the Union Minister had congratulated the state government for work done through EAPs in Tripura.

"FM Nirmala Sitharaman congratulates state officials on work done through EAPs for the holistic development of the state,” Deb wrote on his official Facebook handle.

The slew of projects inaugurated at Mohanpur include -- 132 KV sub-station at Mohanpur, constructed under North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) funded by World Bank (Rs 38.03 crore), inauguration of 80,000 Functional Household Tap Connections provided under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) along with 132 Drinking Water Supply Schemes – Project cost Rs 66 crore, inauguration of 7 projects implemented under RIDF/SPA Project cost Rs 65 crore and inauguration of three Surface Water Treatment plants at Rampur, Pragati and Badharghat, funded by ADB under North East Region Urban Development Project (Project Cost Rs 20 crore).