Agartala, Oct 28 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Tuesday that the present state government is providing adequate funds for development in the Janajati (Tribal) areas and giving priority for the all-around socio-economic development of tribals, who constitute one-third of the state’s four million population.

The Chief Minister, while addressing a gathering at Simna in West Tripura, said that after the BJP government came to power in 2018, an honorary allowance of Rs 2,000 was introduced for Janajati (tribal) community leaders.

Recently, the Cabinet has decided to increase that allowance to Rs 5,000. “In the 2024-25 fiscal, about Rs 6,500 crore was spent for the development of the TTAADC (Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council) areas, which is 39.06 per cent of the total expenditure. For the current financial year (2025-26), about Rs 7,149 crore has been allocated for the TTAADC,” he said.

In Tuesday’s gatherings, organised by the BJP, 1,406 voters from 375 families, mostly tribals, joined the saffron party. Ahead of the crucial elections to the politically important TTAADC in early next year, the BJP has intensified efforts to strengthen its base among the tribals.

The Chief Minister, without naming any party or leaders, regretted that despite the series of efforts of the state government, various contradictory statements are being made to mislead the Janajati community.

Everyone must be careful of those who believe in the politics of division between castes and tribes and must work together to strengthen the message of building “Ek Tripura, Srestha Tripura,” Saha remarked.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP National President J.P. Nadda always emphasised that nothing will happen without the development of the tribals.

“They are truly working for the development of the Janajatis. Draupadi Murmu, a representative of the Janajati section, has been entrusted with the responsibility of the President. After Tripura became a full-fledged state, we had never heard of a Governor from Tripura until now. And Jishnu Dev Varma, a member of Tripura’s royal family and veteran tribal leader, has been appointed as the Governor of a big state like Telangana. In Tripura, we are united as one nation,” Saha stated.

He said that a section of people is trying to create division among the people of the state, but the BJP believes in ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’, and both the government and the party are working in that direction. Speaking at the meeting, Saha said that the BJP government will do whatever is necessary for the development of the tribal communities.

“Work is being done in that direction. Earlier, students from Classes VI to VIII were given a pre-metric scholarship of Rs 400 per year. The blocks in tribal-dominated areas have been declared as aspirational blocks so that more work can be undertaken for the welfare of the Janajatis. Accordingly, more funds are being allocated in the budget to these blocks,” he added.

The meeting was attended by BJP state President and MP Rajib Bhattacharjee, Tribal Welfare Minister Bikas Debbarma, former MP Rebati Tripura, BJP state General Secretary Bipin Debbarma, and various other party leaders.

–IANS

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