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Agartala, Oct 28 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Tuesday said the present state government is providing adequate funds for development in tribal (tribal) areas and is giving priority to the all-round socio-economic development of tribals, who form one-third of the state’s 40 lakh population.
Addressing a gathering in Simna in West Tripura, the Chief Minister said that after the BJP government came to power in 2018, an honorary allowance of Rs 2,000 was introduced for tribal (tribal) community leaders.
Recently the cabinet has decided to increase that allowance to Rs 5,000. He said, “About Rs 6,500 crore was spent for the development of TTAADC (Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council) areas in the financial year 2024-25, which is 39.06 per cent of the total expenditure. For the current financial year (2025-26), about Rs 7,149 crore has been allocated for TTAADC.”
In Tuesday’s meetings organized by the BJP, 1,406 voters from 375 families, mostly tribals, joined the saffron party. Ahead of the politically crucial TTAADC elections early next year, the BJP has stepped up efforts to strengthen its base among the tribals.
Without naming any party or leader, the Chief Minister regretted that despite several efforts by the state government, various contradictory statements were being made to mislead the tribal community.
Everyone should be wary of those who believe in the politics of division between castes and tribes and work together to strengthen the message of building “One Tripura, Shreshtha Tripura”, Saha remarked.
He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President JP Nadda always emphasized that without the development of tribals, nothing will happen.
Saha said, “They are really working for the development of the tribals. Draupadi Murmu, a representative of the tribal community, has been given the responsibility of the President. After Tripura became a full-fledged state, we had never heard of a Governor of Tripura till now. And Jishnu Dev Varma, a member of the royal family of Tripura and a veteran tribal leader, has been appointed the Governor of a big state like Telangana. In Tripura, we are united as a nation.”
He said a section of people was trying to create division among the people of the state, but BJP believes in ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’ and both the government and the party are working in that direction. Speaking at the meeting, Saha said that whatever is necessary for the development of the tribal community, the BJP government will do.
“Work is being done in that direction. Earlier, pre-matric scholarship of Rs 400 per year was given to students from classes six to eight. Blocks in tribal dominated areas have been declared as aspirational blocks so that more work can be done for the welfare of tribal people. Accordingly, more funds are being allocated to these blocks in the budget,” he said.
BJP state president and MP Rajib Bhattacharjee, Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma, former MP Rebti Tripura, BJP state secretary Bipin Debbarma and various party leaders were present in the meeting.
–IANS
SC/And