Tripura to be made drugs free state: CM

In his address on Independence Day, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Tuesday said that to make the state free of drugs, a slew of measures were undertaken which resulted in the arrest of 1,224 peddlers and the seizure of various narcotics worth Rs 86 crore.

Saha hoisted the Tricolour in the main Independence Day' function at the Assam Rifles ground here and said that for effective dealing with the drug menace, an SIT had been constituted under the Crime Branch of the police.

The Chief Minister said that during the 2022-23 financial year, Tripura exported various products worth Rs 121.37 crore, which is seven times more than the international trade of 2018-19.

He said that with the financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the state government has decided to invest Rs 1,200 crore to set up industrial estates in six districts.

To display the products of the state as well as of others, the Tripua government will set up a “Unity Mall'' at a cost of Rs 130 crore in the outskirts of Agartala, Saha said.

For the development of areas under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), the budget allocation of Rs 619.26 crore for the year 2022-23 has been increased to Rs 672.64 crore in the current financial year. 

The Chief Minister said that for the all round development of the tribals, the World Bank has approved Rs 1,400 crore under the ‘Tripura Rural Economy Growth’ and ‘Sustainable Service Delivery Project’.

For the development of the tribal areas of the state, a new project, Mukhyamantri Tribal Development Mission, was undertaken recently, he said.

Saha said that under the Tripura State Policy for Empowerment of Women, 33 per cent seats were reserved for women in government jobs.

He said that the National Mission on Edible Oil 00 Oil Palm has been introduced in Tripura to bring 1,700 hectares of land under its cultivation.

“Under the Chief Minister's Scholarship for Achievers Towards Higher Learning scheme, Rs 5,000 per month would be given to 200 meritorious students who passed the secondary and higher secondary examinations,” Saha said.

The Chief Minister said that since last year 358 people were killed in the road accidents in Tripura.

On the occasion of the 77th Independence Day, a variety of functions, events and performances have been organised by the state government and hundreds of other organisations across Tripura.