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Agartala, Nov 8 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said all-round development of tribal (tribal) communities is the top priority of the BJP government and a loan of Rs 1,400 crore has been taken from the World Bank for the overall development of tribal areas.
Addressing a government function at Killa in southern Tripura’s Gomati district, the Chief Minister said a loan of Rs 1,400 crore was taken under Externally Aided Projects (EAP) to implement various projects and schemes aimed at addressing key issues such as roads, power, water supply, health and education.
CM Saha said, “We want the overall development of the tribals. The BJP-led government does not want to do any kind of politics with the tribals.”
Emphasizing that development of the state is not possible without the upliftment of tribal areas, he said the state government has allocated more than 40 per cent of the budget for 2025-26 for the development of tribal dominated areas.
He said that in the 2024-25 financial year, out of the total budget of Rs 27,000 crore, the state government had allocated Rs 6,645 crore for the development of tribal areas, which is about 39.06 per cent of the total outlay.
The Chief Minister also said that after the BJP government came to power in 2018, an honorary allowance of Rs 2,000 was started for tribal community leaders, which was recently increased to Rs 5,000 by the state cabinet.
CM Saha said, “In the 2024-25 financial year, about Rs 6,500 crore was spent for the development of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) areas, 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.”
With the politically crucial TTAADC elections due early next year, the ruling BJP and its allies – the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) – are both working separately to strengthen their influence among the tribal communities.
The TMP, led by former royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, is ruling the 30-member TTAADC from 2021.
The tribal autonomous body administers about two-thirds of the state’s 10,491 sq km area and is home to more than 12.16 lakh people, about 84 per cent of whom are tribals. Both TMP and IPFT are tribal-based parties.
Tribals make up about a third of Tripura’s 40 lakh population and play an important role in the state’s electoral politics. Out of total 60 assembly seats, 20 are reserved for tribals.
–IANS
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