Agartala, Sep 08: Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Monday inaugurated 14 welfare projects and laid the foundation for 5 more, aimed at improving public services and citizen welfare across the state.
Addressing the event at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan, Dr Saha reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring access to basic services such as nutrition, health care, and early childhood education for the future generation.
“These children are the catalysts who will lead the state and the nation tomorrow,” the Chief Minister said. He added that the state government is striving to deliver services with transparency and efficiency for the benefit of all citizens.
In addition to the inauguration of various projects, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for five 100-bed hostels dedicated to working women, located in Abhaynagar, Edinagar, Bodhjongnagar, Sabroom, and Biloniya. A 50-bed hostel for boys at the Agartala District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) was also inaugurated. These projects, implemented with an estimated cost of ₹61 crore, aim to create safer and more supportive spaces for women and students.
The Chief Minister highlighted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India aims to achieve holistic development by 2047. “Tripura stands 5th among all states in preparing development blueprints and first in the Northeast,” he stated, emphasizing that development should be inclusive and benefit all sections of society.
Other projects inaugurated include nine new Anganwadi centers in West Tripura, childcare parks at Narsinghgarh and Abhaynagar, an after-care home for girls in Abhaynagar, a specialized adoption agency, and child care institutes. The total estimated cost for these initiatives is approximately ₹61 crore, with an additional ₹1.84 crore allocated for the boys’ hostel at Agartala DIET.
Since the beginning of this year, around ₹800 crore worth of development initiatives have been inaugurated or laid in the state, the Chief Minister informed.
A major highlight of the event was the launch of a program to distribute 11,130 smartphones among Anganwadi workers and ICDS supervisors under the Poshan Abhiyaan scheme, aimed at real-time data collection at the grassroots level. The program is expected to cost ₹12.89 crore.
Speaking about the hostel initiatives, the Chief Minister noted that currently only one hostel for working women exists in the state, and the government is planning to establish ten more. Foundations have already been laid for hostels in Ambasa, Dharmanagar, and Kailashahar, with further plans for Udaipur and Kumarghat. These hostels will include modern amenities such as gyms, entertainment zones, sports facilities, and childcare services. Each hostel is estimated to cost ₹11.40 crore.
The event concluded with symbolic distribution of nutrition kits and mobile phones to beneficiaries. Social Welfare and Social Education Minister Tinku Roy outlined future plans, including opening 345 new Anganwadi centers and converting 100 centers into English-medium schools. The honorarium for Anganwadi workers during festivals has been increased by ₹210 to ₹2,310, and a one-time mobile bill support of ₹2,000 and festive saree assistance of ₹1,000 will be credited before Durga Puja.
