New Delhi/Agartala, June 12 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday highlighted the state’s remarkable strides in education, healthcare, skill development, women’s empowerment and economic growth at the 11th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog. The Chief Minister reaffirmed the state’s commitment to building strong human capital in line with the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Addressing the NITI Aayog meeting themed “Human Capital for Viksit Bharat”, Saha congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on completing 12 years in office and lauded his leadership in steering the country’s developmental journey.
He said the forum reflects India’s enduring traditions of cooperative federalism, collective decision-making and constructive policy dialogue.
Highlighting Tripura’s development trajectory, the Chief Minister said the state has adopted a long-term roadmap, “Lakshya 2047”, aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047, aimed at ensuring an inclusive, secure, prosperous and healthy future for all citizens.
He informed the Council that Tripura has doubled its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) over the past six years and has emerged as India’s third fully literate state.
The state has also received more than 350 national and regional awards during the past eight years. Emphasising the government’s “Whole of Government” approach to human resource development, Saha highlighted several transformative initiatives in the education sector.
Under Mission Mukul, children are introduced to the school environment before formal schooling to enhance learning readiness, he noted and said that to improve educational quality and infrastructure, Tripura has developed the Tripura School Quality and Accreditation Framework (TSQAAF). Under the PM SHRI Scheme, 84 schools are being developed as model institutions, while 125 CBSE-pattern model schools have been established under the Vidyajyoti Programme.
He also highlighted SAHARSH, the state’s flagship socio-emotional learning programme, which has contributed significantly to improving mindfulness, resilience, cognitive skills and overall student well-being.
In higher education, new public and private universities are being established, while alumni engagement has been strengthened through dedicated alumni cells and institutionalised alumni meets. In the health sector, the Chief Minister said that more than three lakh Aadhaar-verified beneficiaries have been covered under the Poshan Tracker initiative. In collaboration with NITI Aayog, the state has launched a School Health Mission with dedicated staff nurses deployed in 125 pilot schools.
To tackle non-communicable diseases, the Mukhyamantri Niramay Arogya Abhiyan is undertaking large-scale screening programmes targeting the entire population above the age of 30 years. Tripura’s Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have secured National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification, contributing to improved healthcare outcomes, including a reduction in infant mortality, he said.
The Chief Minister said that medical education has also expanded substantially, with MBBS seats increasing from 225 to 550 and postgraduate seats rising from 85 to 196. Saha underlined the state’s efforts to empower women and youth and informed that . Around 4.96 lakh rural women are associated with 55,676 Self-Help Groups (SHGs).
Women’s Industrial Training Institutes now host SHE Skills and Entrepreneurship Centres, and the Tripura Women Entrepreneurship Policy 2025 has been formulated to reduce gender disparities in entrepreneurship, he said. “Reflecting the success of these interventions, the female labour force participation rate in the state increased from 37.5 per cent in 2022 to 45.9 per cent in 2025. The government has also facilitated employment opportunities for women in night shifts with appropriate safety and security measures,” the Chief Minister stated.
He informed that plans are also underway to establish a World Skill Centre and a School of Languages. Large-scale specialised training programmes are being conducted for Nal Jal Mitras as well.
Highlighting governance reforms, the Chief Minister said Tripura secured the top rank among all states and Union Territories in both Phase I and Phase II of the Deregulation and Compliance Reduction initiative, in response to Prime Minister Modi’s call to board the “Reform Express”. He informed the NITI Aayog meeting that Tripura attracted investment proposals worth more than Rs 30,000 crore during the past year, with projects worth over Rs 8,000 crore already grounded.
Several major companies, including Bharti Airtel, are establishing strategic facilities in the state, including a data centre in Agartala to serve eastern India. Saha also highlighted the state’s comprehensive MSME support framework aimed at improving access to technology, finance and markets. Tourism infrastructure is being strengthened through projects such as the Mata Tripura Sundari Tourism Circuit and the Buddhist Circuit, he stated. The historic Pushpavanta Palace is being transformed into a world-class heritage hotel.
The Chief Minister further said that Tripura has achieved complete digitalisation and paperless functioning across administrative levels, from the Cabinet Secretariat to Gram Panchayats. The state secured first rank among Group-A states in the Sadhana Saptah Programme conducted through the iGOT platform, contributing significantly to the objectives of Mission Karmayogi, he said.
“To promote innovation and entrepreneurship among youth, the government has established the State Innovation Mission and T-NEST (Tripura Nurturing Entrepreneurs and Startups).” Saha informed that a detailed written submission outlining Tripura’s achievements and initiatives had been separately submitted to NITI Aayog.
The Chief Minister reaffirmed Tripura’s unwavering commitment to strengthening human capital and contributing to the national vision of Viksit Bharat. He expressed confidence that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of NITI Aayog, the deliberations of the Governing Council would translate into transformative outcomes for the people.
–IANS
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