Budget talks: Tripura Budget mentions man-animal conflict, pitches for Model village
- It seems that for the first time, at least in near past years, State Budget took up the issue of man-animal conflict. In his Budget speech, Deputy Chief Minister who also holds Finance Portfolio, Jishnu Dev Varma said, “Elephant anti-depredation camp is under establishment at Mungiyakami to control the movement of wild elephants in the habitation areas and agricultural lands”. This statement came in the wake of numerous wild elephant attacks in villages under the Teliamura and Kalyanpur sub-divisions. According to department wise expenditure, the Forest Department witnessed a significant rise in both revenue and capital expenditure. The total expenditure is pegged at Rs 26,895.50 lakh compared to Revised Estimates of 16,593.86 lakh in Budget 2020-21.
- Putting aside the call for aggressive Globalization the Prime Minister made a clarion call for ‘Vocal for Local”. In line with the Prime Minister’s call, State Budget 2021-22 also made a significant step to this end through the ‘Chief Minister’s Model Village Scheme’. The objectives of this scheme is attaining holistic development through effective local governance, ensuring basic amenities, improved health facilities, higher productivity, and better livelihood, enhance human development etc. The scheme will be implemented in three phases starting from April 1 next and ending on February 2023. Expenditure for implementation of the project is pegged at Rs 13.10 crore which will be provided from State Budget 2021-22 and 2022-23.
- The State Budget announces a major boost for flower growers. The Budget envisaged a drastic increase in earnings of flower growers over three years from the existing Rs 6.20 cr to Rs Rs 100 crore through the introduction of Mukhyamantri Pushpa Uddan Prakalpa. Under the scheme, 229 Ha of land will be taken up for open field flower cultivation.
- Trade with Bangladesh recorded a significant surge and export from Tripura has increased remarkably from Rs 6.46 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 30.34 crore in 2019-2020.
- In the Tourism sector, growth in both the domestic and foreign tourists was recorded in 2019-20 compared to previous years. A total of 4,31,142 domestic and 1,54,993 foreign tourists visited Tripura.
- A National Law University at Agartala will be set up for improving the quality of professional legal education etc.
- A new Tripura Bhawan at Kharghar in Mumbai will be set up at a close distance from Tata Memorial Hospital to benefit people going to Tata Cancer Hospital