In a significant push for the overall development of Tripura, Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha urged an increase of North Eastern Council Fund during the 71st Plenary meeting.

The Chief Minister, who is currently attending the meeting in Shillong, also put forward a number of key requests for the development of Tripura.

Taking to X(twitter), Dr Saha expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for their special attention to Tripura's development.

He highlighted his requests, stating, "In my speech, I also requested an increase in the allocation of NEC funds, upgrading Tripura Medical College into an AIIMS-like institute, setting up a Medical College in TTAADC area, increasing Natural Gas allocation for industrial purposes, early operationalization of the Agartala-Cox Bazaar International flight, easing the ceiling on borrowing under Externally Aided Projects, and removing barriers for trade with Bangladesh."

During the session, Dr Saha provided information on the progress made by the North Eastern Space Applications Center (NESAC) in Tripura, which has undertaken 21 Plans of Action as part of its work plan. He highlighted that eight of these projects have already been implemented with the assistance of Tripura Space Applications Centre. Notable achievements include the launch of mobile apps and dashboards to facilitate land survey under the Forest Rights Act, early warning systems for floods and lightning, and demarcation of vacant areas in reserved forest areas.

Dr Saha emphasized that the ongoing projects will bring significant benefits to Tripura, providing valuable information for improving horticulture, agriculture, agar production, and disaster management. Specific outcomes mentioned included determining acre-wise quantities in paddy and maize production, identifying potential cultivation areas for various horticultural crops, and mapping areas under cultivation for the expansion of agar cultivation.

Furthermore, the Dr Saha proposed to set up a hub of Drone based Remote Sensing data acquisition and processing facility in Tripura to support all line departments” and to “Develop an automated system for monitoring and generating alerts for government Land encroachment”.

In the meeting, Dr Saha has also proposed to set up Bio-Ethanol Plant, setting up Ayurveda College, Homeopathy College. He also requested to declare Netaji Subhas Regional Coaching Centre as National Gymnast Academy.

Dr Saha has requested to bring Udaipur and Dharmanagar under Smart City Mission and demanded trains from Agartala to Puri, Jammu and Guwahat.