New Delhi [India], May 25 (HBTV): Tripura Chief Minister Prof Dr Manik Saha on Saturday said that the present state government has prepared a Strategic Road Map to build an Unnato and Shreshtho (Developed and Great), future-ready Tripura.

Saha made the statement while addressing the 10th NITI Aayog Governing Council Meeting in New Delhi, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Health Minister JP Nadda, and other Union Ministers, Governors, Chief Ministers and Lt Governors of Union Territories, as well as the Vice Chairman and Members of NITI Aayog.

Dr Saha congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the armed forces for the successful execution of Operation Sindoor.

He said that Operation Sindoor symbolises the country’s strength, unity, and collective resolve to ensure national security.

‘The success of Operation Sindoor has conveyed a strong commitment towards national security and zero tolerance against terrorism,’ Saha said.

He stated that the Government of Tripura has devised a Strategic Road Map to develop a future-ready Tripura, with the aim of making it Unnato and Shreshtho.

‘An elaborate exercise was carried out over the last one year through consultations with NITI Aayog, the Ministry of DONER, academic institutions, expert consultants, industry and business leaders, eminent citizens, and officials,’ he said.

He said the state government has identified nine key enablers to support robust growth at 12 per cent per year over the next two decades. These include a strong agricultural base, high literacy, rich tourism assets, abundant natural resources, a forest economy, improved infrastructure, strategic location, widening tax base, and the state's energy surplus status.

‘The key enablers are supported by five pillars of governance: policy reforms, institutional building, capacity building, business reforms, reduced compliance burden, and digital governance. In Tripura, e-Office is implemented from the State Cabinet to the Gram Panchayat level. Although we have some challenges, with progressive state policies, transparent administration, and an investor-friendly environment, we are confident of overcoming these. With emphasis on medical wellness, eco-tourism, IT, knowledge economy, resilient agriculture, rich history, cultural heritage, and sports, we estimate to increase our per capita income from 2,300 dollars at present to 23,000 dollars by 2047,’ Saha said.

He said the state government is developing industrial infrastructure in 20 industrial estates to accelerate manufacturing and services in a Tier-3 city like Tripura.

‘We have the Tripura Industrial Investment Policy 2024 to promote manufacturing and services, and have implemented all 387 business reforms mandated under the Business Reforms Action Plan 2024. We have enacted the Tripura Jan Vishwas Act 2025. Under the guidance of the Task Force on Deregulation set up in the Cabinet Secretariat, we are reducing the compliance burden in State Laws, Local Bodies, Industrial Corporations, and Utility Providing Agencies. As a result, we are getting substantial investments in the rubber, bamboo processing, health, education, data centres, hospitality, and business and commerce sectors,’ Dr Saha added.

Speaking about MSMEs, he said there are 86,117 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Tripura, and the state has a strong base of 60,318 Self-Help Groups with 5,49,559 members and 94,723 Lakhpati Didis.

‘We are encouraging members of Self-Help Groups to become entrepreneurs. We are pushing to transform the rural non-farm employment scene by unlocking potential in sectors like bamboo, agarwood, rubber, spices, dairy, aquaculture, and eco-tourism. We seek national and international collaboration and support from NITI Aayog and the Central Government in scaling these initiatives,’ he said.

He also said that the state has initiated the development of an 800 MW pump storage project to help achieve its renewable energy goals.

‘We aim to develop a state-specific Green Economy Policy Framework by adopting a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach through the inclusion of youth and women and developing a robust green start-up ecosystem,’ Saha said.

He further informed that the government is investing substantially in human resource development.

‘The government has established incubator centres in general and technical universities and colleges to provide opportunities for youth to transform their ideas into start-ups and enterprises. We are focusing on creating more "job creators" than "job seekers." We are providing avenues and opportunities to youth in the spheres of tourism, sports, culture, filmmaking, etc. The state’s GDP growth of over 15 per cent during the last three years has indicated that this journey has commenced on an encouraging note,’ he added.

(ANI)