Tripura CM urges for increase in North Eastern Council Fund for state's development

Agartala (Tripura) [India], January 19 (ANI): In a significant push for the overall development of Tripura, Chief Minister Manik Saha on Saturday urged an increase of the North Eastern Council Fund during the 71st Plenary.
The Chief Minister attended the meeting in Shillong and also put forward several key requests for the development of Tripura.
Taking to X, Saha expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for their special attention to Tripura's development.
"In my speech, I also requested an increase in the allocation of NEC funds, upgrading Tripura Medical College into an AIIMS-like institute, setting up a Medical College in the TTAADC area, increasing Natural Gas allocation for industrial purposes, early operationalization of the Agartala-Cox Bazaar International flight, easing the ceiling on borrowing under Externally Aided Projects, and removing barriers for trade with Bangladesh," he posted on X.
During the session, Saha provided information on the progress made by the North Eastern Space Applications Center (NESAC) in Tripura, which has undertaken 21 Plans of Action as part of its work plan.
He highlighted that eight of these projects have already been implemented with the assistance of Tripura Space Applications Centre. Notable achievements include the launch of mobile apps and dashboards to facilitate land surveys under the Forest Rights Act, early warning systems for floods and lightning, and demarcation of vacant areas in reserved forest areas.
Saha emphasized that the ongoing projects will bring significant benefits to Tripura, providing valuable information for improving horticulture, agriculture, agar production, and disaster management. Specific outcomes mentioned included determining acre-wise quantities in paddy and maize production, identifying potential cultivation areas for various horticultural crops, and mapping areas under cultivation for the expansion of agar cultivation.
Furthermore, CM Saha proposed to set up a hub of "drone-based remote sensing data acquisition and processing facility in Tripura to support all line departments" and to "develop an automated system for monitoring and generating alerts for government Land encroachment".
In the meeting, the Chief Minister also proposed to set up a Bio-Ethanol Plant, Ayurveda College, and Homeopathy College. He also requested to declare Netaji Subhas Regional Coaching Centre as the National Gymnast Academy.
Saha further requested to bring Udaipur and Dharmanagar under the Smart City Mission and demanded trains from Agartala to Puri, Jammu and Guwahati. (ANI)