Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday said his government has been facing several challenges because of financial liabilities left behind by the previous CPI(M) regime.
Addressing a programme at Kailashahar in Unakoti district, where projects worth Rs 45.18 crore were unveiled, Saha said the BJP-led government inherited a debt burden of Rs 13,000 crore when it came to power in 2018, leaving it with limited financial resources to undertake new projects.
“We started our journey with a huge debt burden, which resulted in financial constraints in taking up new projects,” he said.
Accusing the previous government of taking faulty decisions, Saha said his government was receiving directions from the high court and the Supreme Court to extend financial benefits to people affected by alleged lapses committed during the earlier regime.
Reacting to former chief minister Manik Sarkar’s recent statement, Saha said the CPI(M) appeared to have become restless to regain power after being out of office for eight-and-a-half years.
“We are working under the guidance of our guardian, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. No ploy or movement can dislodge the BJP government in the northeastern state,” he said.
At a rally on Monday, Sarkar had threatened that people would launch a movement with a “militant mindset” if the BJP-led government failed to address their grievances.
The rally was organised to press for an 11-point charter of demands, including 200 days of employment at a daily wage of Rs 700, reduction in fuel and essential commodity prices, and measures to ease the financial burden on people.
Saha said his government has set a target of Rs 10,000 crore in capital expenditure during the current fiscal year, up from the earlier allocation of Rs 7,000 crore.
“If we do not build infrastructure, investment for development will not come to the state,” he said.
Describing the ‘Destination Tripura: Business Summit’, held on July 9 and 10, as a historic initiative to attract investments, the chief minister said 468 memoranda of understanding were signed during the event, involving proposed investments of Rs 1.32 lakh crore.
“Officials have been asked to take all possible steps to make investment proposals a reality as early as possible. The socio-economic face of the state will be transformed dramatically if we can bring these proposals to the ground,” he said.
