- Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura
Agartala, February 23, 2022 : Calling upon the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to come forward for the development of a communication system to enhance trade relations between Tripura and Bangladesh, the Chief Minister of Tripura – Biplab Kumar Deb chaired a crucial meeting with the officials of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at Civil Secretariat here in Agartala.
Deb urged the ADB needs to accelerate the progress of the priority areas to achieve development in the primary fields. He thanked ADB for identifying the state as a strategic partner and said that his government is giving priority to the areas of health, industry, education, communication, tourism, agriculture, infrastructure development in improving the socio-economic quality of the state.
“ADB’s assistance is required in implementing specific projects for potential investment areas of the state. ADB needs to work out a plan for how to quickly implement all the projects that ADB has undertaken for the development of the state,” Deb said.
The Chief Minister advised ADB to focus on project implementation based on the state’s climate. He said that emphasis should be laid on the implementation of various construction projects in the state, especially during the winter season, including the roads.
Deb also called upon the ADB to work as a partner of the state government in building a drug free Tripura. He said a roadmap called ‘Lakshya-2047’ has been prepared for the next 25 years for the overall development of the state.
“The state government is working with emphasis on development of various sectors including infrastructure, education, health communication in 12 aspirational blocks of the state,” he told the ADB delegation and also urged them to come forward in this regard.
During the meeting, Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma said that a large part of the state is forested. Based on this, ADB has the opportunity to work on various projects on climate change. In addition, there is ample opportunity for ADB to invest in industries, infrastructure, tourism, health, and the state.
Chief Secretary Kumar Alok said that ADB may come forward to invest in primary sectors and industrial development by utilizing the state’s own natural resources.
At the meeting, ADB Executive Director Sameer Kumar Khar said ADB has identified Tripura as a strategic partner. He outlined in the illustrated report the plans that ADB has adopted in the next four years for infrastructure development, power system improvement, tourism, communication system development, health, education, social welfare, agriculture, climate change and industrial development in the state.
Earlier the ADB delegation visited the Ujjayanta Palace area in Agartala to oversee the undergoing construction which is also funded by the ADB.