Agartala, March 16 (IANS) Tripura Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy on Monday presented a tax-free deficit budget of Rs 34,212.31 crore for the financial year 2026-27, projecting a deficit of Rs 240.72 crore, and emphasising infrastructure development, investment promotion, employment generation, and strengthening the health and tourism sectors. ​

The budget reflects a 5.52 per cent increase over the 2025-26 budget estimates. ​

The Finance Minister said that during 2026-27, the state government will provide a total of Rs 914.82 crore to the politically important Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), marking an increase of 6.34 per cent. ​

The crucial elections to the 30-member TTAADC are scheduled for April. ​

“The state government continues to excel on the path to progress. Strengthening infrastructure, promoting investment, creating employment, and developing health and tourism sectors are among the proactive measures being undertaken to ensure all-around socio-economic development of the people of the state,” Roy said during his nearly two-hour budget speech. ​

He announced the establishment of Tripura Government Technical University, Tripura Government Women’s University and Tripura University of Health Sciences. ​

The budget also introduced a new initiative, “NAVCHETNA”, aimed at promoting technology-driven education through Innovation and Technology Laboratories in institutions. ​

The programme will focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), coding and automation. ​

The Finance Minister further announced the launch of the ‘Mukhyamantri Antarjatik Kormosangstan Prokolpa’ to facilitate overseas employment opportunities for nursing, ITI, diploma and graduate students. A Drone School will be set up to provide professional training for drone pilots with DGCA-approved licences. ​

In addition, a Foreign Language School will be established in Agartala in collaboration with Ramakrishna Mission. To safeguard farmers from natural calamities, crops of 96,000 farmers have been insured under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Roy said. ​

To combat HIV/AIDS, 11 additional Targeted Intervention programmes, Link Workers and NGOs have been identified to provide prevention and treatment services to high-risk populations. Six mobile vans are currently operating to conduct HIV diagnostic tests in hard-to-reach areas. ​

Under ‘Mission Shakti’, integrated support and assistance are being provided to women affected by violence, including medical and legal aid, temporary shelter with food, and psychosocial counselling. ​

Roy informed the House that One Stop Centres (OSCs) are now operational in all eight districts of Tripura, while the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has approved two additional OSCs. ​

According to the Finance Minister, the state received investment proposals worth Rs 15,800 crore during the ‘Destination Tripura-Business Conclave’ held in Agartala and the ‘Rising North East Investment Summit’ in New Delhi during 2025-26. Of these, 91 investment projects worth Rs 5,022 crore have been grounded in the past year. ​

To further boost investment momentum, the Destination Tripura-Business Meet 2026 will be organised in May 2026, he added. ​

Roy also noted that several tourism infrastructure projects are being implemented under an Externally Aided Project (EAP) funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). ​

As a result of the government’s initiatives, tourist footfall in the state increased to 6,50,772 in 2025-26 (up to February 2026), compared to 5,29,815 in 2018-19. ​

–IANS

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