Tripura CM demands revision of fund-sharing pattern for NE states

Agartala: Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Monday demanded a revision of the existing 50:50 fund sharing pattern to 90:10 for various schemes like ‘Smart City’ for the Northeastern states.

Addressing North East Sustainable Development Goals Conclave 2020 being held in Guwahati, Deb elaborated on the 16 sustainable development goals (SDG) of his government to ensure overall growth of Tripura. Apart from speaking on state government’s initiatives to ensure quality education, strengthen healthcare and improve the infrastructure sector, the chief minister also highlighted state government’s achievements in implementing various schemes like PMAY, MGNREGA, Ayushman Bharat, Ujjawala Yojana in Tripura.

“Tripura has successfully formulated its Vision 2030 along with 7 Year Strategy, 3 Year Action Plan and State Indicator Framework document highlighting key focus areas of current interventions after due localization. Our government is committed to working with both internal and external stakeholders to promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth and social development along with environmental protection, to deliver long term benefits to the people, including women, children, youth and differently-abled,” Deb said.

He also said that the state government is focusing to achieve double-digit growth of economy of the State, and sustain the same in the long run, through concerted efforts to make the State a trading hub and gateway to NE states.

“Export promotion of items like bamboo, rubber, tea, fruits and nuts, value addition of exportable surplus items produced in the State like rubber, bamboo, etc, and augmentation of service sector like tourism, hospitality, health care through capacity building, etc., would be the key strategies for economic growth,” Deb added.

Deb also urged NITI Aayog’s support for pursuing central government to sanction more power and sufficient funds to North Eastern Council so that each state of the region can get a proportionate share of required funding.

“Tripura has been acclaimed as the best-performing state in the category of North Eastern States in India and second best-performing state in the overall country under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban). So far against the target 77,379 houses sanctioned, 32,078 houses have been completed and the remaining is at different stages of construction,” Deb said.

He also said that the trade volume with Bangladesh has increased from Rs. 390.68 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 537.00 crore in 2018-19 and the export from Tripura has increased remarkably from Rs 6.46 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 14.66 crore in 2018-19.

Under Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G), the cumulative target for the financial year 2016-18 was 24,989 houses of which 24,291 (97.21 percent) houses have already been completed as on February 7 this year, he told in the conclave.

Apart from Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb, the chief ministers of other states, Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog, Assam Finance minister Himanta Biswa Sharma, and vice-chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar was also present in the conclave.

The North East Sustainable Development Goals Conclave 2020 being held at Assam Administrative Staff College has been organised by NITI Aayog in partnership with North East Council and the government of Assam.