PM assures all help for Tripura, opens MBB Aiport terminal, 2 schemes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new state of the art Integrated MBB International Airport terminal and two other schemes – Vidyajyoti Schools under Mission 100 and Mukhyamantri Gram Samriddhi Yojana by pressing button at Swami Vivekananda Maidan in presence of  Governor Satyadeo Narain Ariya Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia , Union minister Pratima Bhowmik , several Tripura ministers MPs Rebati Tripura, Vinod Sonkar and others. The Prime Minister opened the plaques set up at the Maidan and also two other schemes by pressing buttons even as the mammoth gathering burst into applause.

Prime Minister said the India of the 21^st century will move forward by taking everyone along with the spirit of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Prayas. Unbalanced development where some states lag behind and people deprived of even some basic facilities is not good. This is what the people of Tripura have seen for decades, he said. Modi recalled the times of relentless corruption and governments with no vision or intention of development of the state. After such a scenario, the Prime Minister said that the current regime came up with the Mantra of HIRA – H to Highway, I to Internet way, R to railways and A to Airways for improving the connectivity in Tripura. He added that today Tripura is strengthening and expanding  its connectivity on the basis of the HIRA model.

Commenting on the new airport, the Prime Minister said that the airport is a blend of Tripura’s culture, natural beauty and modern facilities. The airport will play a big role in enhancing air connectivity in the North East. The Prime MInister pointed out that work is going on in full earnest to make Tripura the gateway to the northeast. Road, rail, air and water connectivity infrastructure is getting unprecedented investment. This is turning Tripura into a new hub of business and industry as well as a trade corridor.

The Prime Minister said that “there is no match of a double engine government when it comes to work with double speed. A double engine government means proper use of resources, it means sensitivity and boosting the power of the people, it means service and accomplishment of resolutions, it means united effort towards prosperity”.

Praising Tripura’s record in taking the welfare schemes to the people , the Prime Minister lauded the state for launching Mukhyamantri Tripura Gram Samriddhi Yojana which is aimed to fulfil the Prime Minister’s vision which he articulated from the ramparts of the Red Fort,  of taking the schemes to people and reaching the saturation of the coverage. The scheme will promote tap water for every household, housing, Ayushman coverage, insurance cover, KCC and roads leading to enhanced confidence in the rural population. The Prime Minister appreciated the Chief Minister for working to change the definitions to improve the coverage of PMAY. This has resulted in 1.8 lakh families getting pucca houses of which 50 thousand houses have already been given for possession in the state.

The Prime Minister said the new National Education Policy is being implemented in the country to skill the youth who are making India modern in the 21st century. It also lays equal emphasis on learning in the local language. Students of Tripura are now going to get help from Mission-100 and the ‘Vidya Jyoti’ campaign, he said.

The Prime Minister said that the campaign to vaccinate the youth of the 15-18 age group will ensure that there is no break in the education of the young students. This will alleviate the worries of the students and parents. The Prime Minister informed that in Tripura, 80 percent of the population has received the first dose and 65 percent have received both the doses of vaccine. He expressed the hope that Tripura will soon achieve the target of vaccinating the 15-18 age group fully.

The Prime Minister said that Tripura can play an important role in giving the country an alternative to single-use plastic. A huge market is being created in the country for bamboo brooms, bamboo bottles products made here. With this, thousands of people are getting employment or self-employment in the manufacture of bamboo items. He also praised the state’s work in organic farming.

Mukhyamantri Tripura Gram Samriddhi Yojana aims to achieve the benchmark standards for service delivery in core development sectors at the village level. The key sectors selected for this Yojana are household tap connections, domestic electricity connections, all-weather roads, functional toilets for every household, recommended immunization for every child, participation of women in Self Help Groups etc.

Before Modi Aviation Minister Scindia also spoke on the occasion and gave details of the development of the aviation sector in the country as well as in Tripura.

The Prime Minister flew down here from Imphal where he had launched several projects. He ws scheduled to arrive at 1 pm but due to fog his flight was delayed. Soon after reaching Agartala he visited the new Airport building which accommodated several local arts forms. He expressed his satisfaction at the international standard facilities, technologies and environment friendly construction with solar power.

“In the Airport itself people can get some ideas of the state”, he commented. After visiting the airport the Prime Minister held an interaction with beneficiaries of some projects and sought to know their opinions.

“All those with whom I spoke were highly satisfied and in fact one female beneficiary became so emotional that she hardly could control her tears’, Modi said in his speech.

The New Integrated Terminal Building of Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport, built at a cost of about Rs 450 crore, is a state of art building spread over 30,000 square metres having modern facilities and supported by the latest IT network integrated system. It is completely environment friendly.

The building wholly solar power run and can handle 1200 international and domestic passengers at peak time. It will have 20 check-in counters and four passenger boarding bridges.

Through the local architecture of building and various installations passengers will experience local art forms, bamboo- rattan creations, stone sculptures of Unakoti hills, Chabimura replica. Also, local bamboo art has been presented in multiple forms at the airport. The New Integrated Terminal Building’s design turned out to be  a perfect example of the culture and heritage of Tripura and equipped with world-class facilities and enhanced capacity.

The new terminal building will be fully operated on solar power from April 2022 during day time. A 2-MW solar power plant is being installed here for this while a 250-KW energy plant is already functioning.

After the launch of the scheme Vidyajyoti Schools under Mission 100 a total of  100 existing schools will be transformed into CBSE-affiliated schools from state’s fund of around Rs. 500 crore, the other scheme would focus at strengthening the villages with all basic facilities, he told the media.

(With inputs ftom PIB and others)