CM Dr Manik Saha attends NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi; says, Govt prepares strategic roadmap for development of Tripura

Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Saturday attended the 10th meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog held at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that the Tripura government has prepared a strategic roadmap for development of the state.

“The roadmap has been prepared after intensive discussions with NITI Aayog, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, educational institutions, expert advisors, eminent persons associated with industry and commerce, eminent citizens and officials over the past 1 year,” Dr Saha said.

In his speech Dr Saha said that 9 special sectors have been identified in Tripura which are expected to grow at a rate of 12 per cent per annum in the next two decades. These are strong agriculture sector, high literacy rate, thriving tourism sector, abundance of natural resources, forest-based economy, developed infrastructure, strategic location, broad tax base and power surplus state, he added.

He said that these supporting elements are supported by five pillars of governance. These are policy reforms, institution building, capacity building, business reforms and reduction of compliance burden and digital governance.

“In Tripura, e-office has been introduced from the state cabinet to the gram panchayat level. While the state is facing some challenges in implementing progressive policies, transparent governance and investment friendly environment, it is expected that these can be resolved,” Dr Saha said, while addressing the meeting.

The Chief Minister said that the target has been set to increase the per capita income from US$ 2,300 to US$ 23,000 by 2047, with emphasis on medical welfare, eco-tourism, information technology, knowledge-based economy, sustainable agriculture, rich history, cultural heritage and sports.

“Industrial infrastructure is being created in 20 industrial zones to accelerate the manufacturing and service sectors in tier-three cities like Tripura. The Tripura Industrial Investment Policy 2024 has been launched to encourage the manufacturing and service sectors. As per the Business Reforms Action Plan 2024, all 387 business reforms have been implemented,” Dr Saha said, adding that under the guidance of the Deregulation Task Force formed under the Secretariat, the burden of compliance with state laws, local reforms, industrial corporations and utility companies has been reduced. As a result, significant investments are being made in the sectors of rubber, bamboo processing, health, education, data centers, hospitality, business and commerce, Dr Saha said.

Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister said that there are 86,117 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Tripura. There are 60,318 Self Help Groups (SHGs) in the state, with 5,49,559 members and 94,723 Lakhpati Didis. The state government is encouraging the members of SHGs to emerge as entrepreneurs, he said.

Dr Saha further said that work is being done to change the rural non-farm employment scenario by unlocking potential in the sectors of bamboo, agarwood, rubber, spices, dairy, aquaculture and eco-tourism.