Allegation of massive financial corruption in the Tribal Welfare Department under the Government of Tripura was raised as it was found that the department had formed a Society to implement one of its important projects hiring outsiders as consultants and paying them huge money as salaries.
Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman in a scathing attack on the Tribal Welfare Department, smelt gross financial irregularities in handling of funds intended for the development and welfare of the state’s indigenous communities.
He alleged that innocent Janajati people were being deprived of the benefits of the Rs 1,400 crore World Bank-sanctioned multi-sectoral project, the “Tripura Rural Economic Growth and Service Delivery Project (TRESP)” due to blatant corruption.
He said a separate ‘Society’ was formed for the project, even though the Tribal Welfare Department was designated as the Nodal Department.
He also alleged that consultants from outside the state, including places like Andaman, were hired for the project implementation.
Roy Barman claimed that the consultancy fee would be paid Rs 200 crore over three years and that the department would incur additional expenses of around Rs 1 crore per month in salaries.
He pointed out one of the consultants is drawing a staggering salary of Rs 1,75,000 per month.
The Congress MLA also questioned the capability of the Tribal Welfare Department in managing such a significant project.
His strong remarks came on the final day of a three-day Assembly session on Friday, following a response from Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma to a Reference Period Notice titled, “Regarding the progress of TRESP in 23 Tribal-dominated Blocks of Tripura,” of Roy Barman.
In his reply, Debbarma informed the House that the World Bank had sanctioned the multi-sectoral TRESP project.” He said that a Rs 1,400 crore loan agreement with the World Bank was signed on March 1, 2024, and became effective on March 20, 2024. The project is set to run for six years.
Highlighting various aspects of the TRESP, Debbarma said, “The primary objective of this project is to construct necessary infrastructure, create opportunities for skill development, improve the quality of education, and enhance road connectivity to boost livelihood opportunities in 23 Janajati-dominated blocks across 8 districts of Tripura. Among these 23 blocks, 12 are aspirational blocks.”
But Roy Barman was not satisfied and he questioned: “Is our Tribal Welfare Department so incapable or inefficient that it cannot implement the project on its own? Why do we need to hire consultants from other states? Don’t we have our own experts?” The Congress MLA sought Chief Minister’s immediate intervention in the alleged scam.
