Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha today said that the present government is working with special emphasis on infrastructure development, and for this purpose, about Rs 7,000 crore have been allocated in the budget.

He said that financial sanction has been received for setting up two more one-stop centers in Kailashahar and Agartala, and 14,575 Divyangjans are being given a social allowance of Rs 2,000 per month by the Social Welfare and Social Education Department.

Dr Saha said this while virtually inaugurating 14 development projects and laying the foundation stone for five 100-seated Working Women’s Hostels and a 50-seated Boys’ Hostel of DIET at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan. Today, projects worth about Rs 61 crore have been inaugurated and foundation stones laid.

He said that under the Poshan Abhiyan, about 11,130 smartphones have been provided to Anganwadi workers. The Poshan Tracker app will be installed on these mobiles, which will provide information about daily activities.

In the discussion, Dr Saha also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has planned to build a Viksit Bharat by 2047. For this purpose, he has asked the states to prepare a roadmap, and the Tripura government has already prepared one to build a developed Tripura.

“In this regard, our state is ranked 5th in the entire country and 1st among the eight states in the North Eastern region,” he said.

Dr Saha said that 10 more Working Women’s Hostels will be set up in the state.

“Out of these, the foundation stone of five has been laid today. About Rs 114 crore have been approved for this project. The cost of each hostel is estimated at Rs 11.40 crore. The foundation stone has already been laid in Ambassa, Dharmanagar, and Kailashahar. Later, such hostels will be set up in Udaipur and Kumarghat. These hostels will have gym, entertainment center, sports court, 24-hour security, and child care facilities,” he said.

The Chief Minister added that 46 Anganwadi centers have been set up under the DoNER Ministry and the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme.

“The main objective of setting up these Anganwadi centers is to provide basic services of nutrition, health, and pre-primary education. Aftercare homes are also being set up for young women aged 18 to 21 years as per the Juvenile Justice Act 2015. Through this, they can be made self-reliant by providing food security, education, vocational training, life skills, and psychological support,” he said.

The Chief Minister informed that 101 children have been given rehabilitation grants of Rs 50,000 each for social reintegration.

“In the last three years, a total of 144 children have been provided financial assistance ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 3 lakh under the Juvenile Justice Fund. In the financial year 2024-25, sponsorship of Rs 4,000 per month has been provided to about 4,286 children. In the Child Care Institute, 940 children have been given shelter in 44 children’s homes across eight districts of the state. About 31 children have been adopted by the government in the last three years. Around 41,694 disability identity cards have been issued to provide benefits to the differently-abled. Along with this, 1,402 Anganwadi workers and 1,615 Anganwadi helpers have been appointed since April 1, 2023, to ensure proper management of the Anganwadi centers,” he added.

Social Welfare and Social Education Minister Tinku Roy, Social Welfare and Social Education Secretary Tapas Roy, Director T.K. Das, and other senior officials were present at the event as distinguished guests.