Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Thursday inaugurated the renovated Matangini Pritilata Sabhagriha at Women's College, Agartala, and launched three major initiatives aimed at promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and digital empowerment among the youth.
The Chief Minister formally launched the Tripura Seva First Innovation Challenge 2026, the Mukhyamantri Yuba Yogayog Yojana (MYYY) for the Academic Year 2025-26 and inaugurated Digi-SAPNE 3.0 (Digital Startup Accelerator Program for North East) during a programme organised by the Directorate of Information Technology, Government of Tripura.
The renovated auditorium has been upgraded to provide improved facilities for academic, cultural and institutional activities, reflecting the government's commitment to strengthening educational infrastructure across the state.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Saha reaffirmed the government's commitment to building an innovation-driven and digitally empowered Tripura. He stressed the importance of encouraging entrepreneurship, promoting technology adoption and empowering young people to become innovators and job creators.
The event was attended by Information Technology, Finance, Planning and Coordination Minister Pranajit Singha Roy, Higher Education Minister Kishor Barman, Secretary to the Chief Minister Kiran Gitte, IT and Finance Secretary Dr. P. K. Goyal, Director of Information Technology Jeya Ragul Geshan B., MeitY Director and Head of Software Industry Promotion Division Rajeshwar Singh Jenwar, Sikkim Manipal University Vice-Chancellor Dr. Gopalakrishna Prabhu, senior government officials, startup founders, innovators, representatives of academic institutions and students.
The programme highlighted the state government's efforts to align with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of innovation, entrepreneurship and digital empowerment under the Viksit Bharat @2047 mission by strengthening startup support systems, digital infrastructure and innovation-led development.
The Tripura Seva First Innovation Challenge 2026, being organized under the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, aims to encourage students, researchers, innovators and startups to develop technology-driven solutions for governance and public service delivery. The initiative is expected to generate innovative ideas that can improve citizen-centric services and developmental outcomes across the state.
The government also launched the Mukhyamantri Yuba Yogayog Yojana for the 2025-26 academic session. Introduced in the 2019-20 academic year, the scheme has benefited more than 63,000 students, with an expenditure exceeding ₹31.62 crore, by providing smartphones and improving digital access for education, skill development and online learning.
Another highlight of the programme was the inauguration of Digi-SAPNE 3.0, a startup acceleration programme implemented by AIC-SMUTBI in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India. The initiative offers mentorship, business acceleration, investor connect and ecosystem support to technology-driven startups across the North Eastern Region.
Officials said the launch of Digi-SAPNE 3.0 reflects the growing strength of Tripura's startup ecosystem under the Sector Agnostic Tripura Start-Up Policy 2024. Three startups from the state—Cubo Bots, Acuvea Healthcare Technologies and HN Technovations LLP—had been selected under previous editions of the programme.
During the event, eight startups selected under Digi-SAPNE 2.0 were felicitated for their achievements in technology-based entrepreneurship.
Speaking on the occasion, Higher Education Minister Kishor Barman said educational institutions have a crucial role in nurturing future innovators and entrepreneurs, while initiatives such as the Innovation Challenge and the Mukhyamantri Yuba Yogayog Yojana would provide students with greater opportunities to engage with technology and innovation.
IT Minister Pranajit Singha Roy said the three initiatives represent the government's integrated strategy for digital empowerment, innovation and entrepreneurship. He also highlighted ongoing efforts to establish Regional Startup Hubs, expand the New Generation Innovation Network (NGIN) and strengthen support for startups across the state.
IT and Finance Secretary Dr. P. K. Goyal said the state government has been providing policy incentives, mentoring, incubation support, market access and ecosystem partnerships under the Sector Agnostic Tripura Start-Up Policy 2024, resulting in increased participation by entrepreneurs.
Director of Information Technology Jeya Ragul Geshan B. highlighted initiatives such as Startup Tripura, T-RISE, T-NEST and NGIN, along with collaborations with national ecosystem partners to strengthen mentoring, incubation and market linkages for startups.
The programme brought together startup founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, students, academic institutions, government departments and ecosystem partners, providing a platform for collaboration, networking and knowledge exchange.
According to the Directorate of Information Technology, the newly launched initiatives are expected to strengthen Tripura's innovation ecosystem, promote entrepreneurship-driven economic growth, generate opportunities for young people and further position the state as an emerging innovation hub in the North East.