Agartala, May 15 (IANS) The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sanctioned another Tripura State Rifles (TSR) battalion in the state, officials said on Thursday.

An official of the Tripura Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that the decision to create another TSR battalion was taken based on Chief Minister Manik Saha’s proposal placed before Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his recent meeting in New Delhi.

Announcing the MHA’s decision, Saha wrote on social media: “Big boost for Tripura! Union Ministry of Home Affairs sanctions raising of another India Reserve (IR) battalion for Tripura State Rifles, enhancing security and generating employment opportunities. Grateful to Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji and Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah Ji.”

According to the CMO official, the government of India shall reimburse a one-time financial assistance of Rs 50 crore for raising one TSR battalion.

The government of India would exercise the right of first call on the IR Battalion of the TSR and shall have full authority to ask the state to make the battalion available for deployment anywhere in the country, as and when required, the official said.

For infrastructure cost (excluding cost of land), up to Ra 30 crore would be provided upon submission of expenditure details on infrastructure for the new TSR battalion.

The TSR currently has 14 battalions, the majority of which are IR battalions, which can be deployed in any state of the country if the MHA so requires.

Two TSR battalions, comprising around 2,000 personnel, including officers, have been posted in the national capital under the Delhi Police’s authority since 2019 and in South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) in Chhattisgarh since 2022.

Apart from the two in Delhi and Chhattisgarh, one battalion is providing dedicated security to the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s drilling sites in Tripura.

During the Lok Sabha elections between April 19 and June 1, the TSR had been deployed for polling duties in Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha and Himachal Pradesh.

Besides providing security during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, the India Reserve (IR) battalions of TSR had earlier performed election duties in almost all states to provide security during the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

Trained in counter-insurgency operations, the TSR troopers have demonstrated excellent performance in Tripura in taming the four-and-a-half decades-old terrorism in the northeastern state.

–IANS

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