Agartala, Jan 23:
Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said Tripura’s economic growth rate has significantly outpaced the national average over the last decade, reflecting the impact of sustained central investment and focused development policies in the Northeast.
Addressing a central function at Pragna Bhavan in Agartala for the inauguration and foundation stone laying of DoNER-funded projects, Scindia said the Centre has allocated around ₹6.5 lakh crore for the northeastern region over the past 12 years since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office. He noted that all central ministries were mandated to earmark 10 per cent of their total budget for the Northeast, leading to a substantial increase in fund flow. In the last financial year alone, the allocation for the region stood at around ₹1 lakh crore.
Referring specifically to Tripura, the minister said the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, which earlier hovered between 3 and 4 per cent, has risen sharply to around 10.5–11 per cent per annum over the past decade. In comparison, he said the national compounded growth rate stands at about 6.5 per cent, while global growth rates range between 2.5 and 2.75 per cent.
Scindia attributed this progress to major improvements in connectivity and infrastructure. He said the length of national highways in Tripura has increased from about 850 km to nearly 1,550 km in the last 10 years. Railway freight movement has improved, and air connectivity has expanded significantly following the inauguration of the new terminal at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport. He added that Guwahati and Tripura are poised to emerge as key gateways linking the Northeast with Southeast Asia.
On industrial development, the minister said DoNER-organised investment summits in metro cities resulted in MoUs worth around ₹55,000 crore. Efforts are underway to convert these proposals into operational units across the region.
During the event, Scindia inaugurated and laid foundation stones for eight projects worth ₹351 crore, including major road and connectivity works and a solar microgrid project. He also announced an ₹80-crore agarwood processing unit at Kadamtala and upcoming foundation stone laying for ₹280 crore worth of Matabari tourism projects.
Chief Minister Manik Saha said Tripura’s development journey has received national recognition, with the state earning over 300 national and regional awards in the past decade.
