Rs 1,400 Cr in One Year, Rs 26.96 Cr in One Day: CM Dr. Saha's Development Drive Reaches Dhalai
Jun 16, 2026
Once a district that no government bothered with, Dhalai is steadily changing, and Chief Minister Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha made that case plainly on Tuesday when he inaugurated 13 projects and laid the groundwork for two more at Halhali, channelling Rs 26.96 crore across health, education, roads, and sanitation in a single visit to the aspirational district.
The programme was held at the Halhali Higher Secondary School ground. The works span the Rural Development, Health, Education, and PWD departments, with 14 more projects under Dhalai District also inaugurated virtually. Meanwhile, eight garbage collection vehicles under the Swachh Bharat Mission, costing around Rs 97.36 lakh, were flagged off before the main ceremony.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister Dr. Saha said the district had been consistently neglected before the current administration came to power. "The previous government never gave Dhalai any attention. Since our double-engine government arrived, we have been working day after day to change that," he said.
He added that development, in his government's understanding, goes beyond buildings. "Development means ensuring people live safely, comfortably, and with their basic rights actually reaching them," he said.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on aspirational districts, Dr. Saha said the goal is to make Dhalai a model others look to. "The Prime Minister keeps telling us that aspirational districts must become inspirational. They must do such work that other districts feel motivated by their example," he said.
Dr. Saha further emphasized that in the 2025-26 financial year alone, he has personally inaugurated or commissioned works worth over Rs 1,400 crore across the state.
On education, Dr. Saha pointed to the previous day's event in Agartala, where around 41,800 bicycles were distributed to Class IX students at a state-level programme. "The main purpose is to ensure students can reach school on time and that girls feel more encouraged to study," he said. He also noted that Tripura's dropout rate has declined considerably, and the state now stands third in the country in full literacy at 95.6 percent.
On the tourism front, Dr. Saha said that Union Home Minister recently visited Tripura and laid the foundation stone for a five-star hotel at the old Rajbari, which belonged to the Manikya Dynasty and previously served as the Governor's House. The building was renovated at a cost of Rs 17 crore, and the state government has entered into a partnership with IHCL, the Tata group's hospitality company, to develop approximately 100 rooms there. "Tourists from around the world will come here through their network. They will learn about the Manikya Dynasty, about the fact that Rabindranath Tagore visited this land seven times. The old palace will be properly maintained, and it will directly and indirectly create jobs for many people," he said.
Dr. Saha also said that he has personally written to all Union Ministers, Governors, and Lieutenant Governors inviting them to visit the Tripura Sundari temple, and that the response has been steady. "Every day, someone is visiting the temple now. This is how we make ourselves known," he said.
Dr. Saha pointed to the Act East Policy and said that around 11 to 12 peace accords have been signed in the Northeast as a result, bringing stability to the region. "When peace is established, investors come, and they are coming," he said. He informed that Tripura has signed MoUs worth over Rs 30,000 crore in investment commitments, of which Rs 8,000 crore has already been grounded. "This is not just on paper. The work is happening on the ground," he said.
Moreover, Dr. Saha said Tripura now ranks second among all Northeastern states in both GSDP and per capita income. He also said the state has been declared a front-runner state by the Niti Aayog's State Support Mission, and that over the past eight years, Tripura has received more than 350 national and regional awards. On deregulation and compliance, he said the state has finished first in India in both the first and second phases of the national assessment. "We are in the right direction," he said.
A 50-seat medical college is also being set up at Ambassa, within the ADC area, he informed. "An industrialist from Tripura itself came forward and expressed interest, and we have given him the work," he said.
On connectivity, Dr. Saha said his government is pushing for a national highway connecting Kamalpur to Ambassa, passing through Ganda Tuisa, Dumbur, and up to Shantibazar. "I have personally raised this with the Prime Minister. Once it becomes a national highway, tourists and locals alike will benefit greatly," he said. He added that under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, 4,653 kilometres of road were completed in Phase 1, and a target of 600 more kilometres has been set for Phases 2 and 3 by the 2026-27 financial year.
On water supply, Dr. Saha said the Jal Jeevan Mission has taken Tripura's household tap water coverage from just 3.26 percent to 86 percent. He said he has directed officials to ensure that remaining Anganwadi centres and schools receive connections at the earliest. Under the PM Awas Yojana, 3.76 lakh homes have been approved across the state, of which 3.73 lakh have already been built, with 85 percent of those constructed after 2022. "Tripura has been recognised as a top-performing state under this scheme," he said.
Under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, 2.85 lakh farmers received assistance in the 21st installment, while the 22nd installment reached 2.16 lakh farmers with Rs 46 crore transferred directly to their accounts. "There is no middleman. The money goes straight to the farmer," he said.
Dr. Saha said his government has built an 'Amar Sarkar' portal through which people in villages can flag problems, which are then resolved within a set timeline. He also said Tripura is now the only state in India that has implemented e-office from the Cabinet level all the way down to the three-tier Panchayat system. "Everywhere else, it stops at the sub-division level. Only in Tripura has it reached the Panchayat," he said. The government has also launched Digital Tripura and is making use of artificial intelligence. The 'Prati Ghare Sushasan' good governance initiative has been conducted twice to ensure that beneficiary schemes reach every household, he added.
Several flagship schemes including PM Ujjwala Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, Dharti Aaba Janabhagidar Abhiyan, and PM Janman Prakalpa are also being implemented, he said, adding that Tripura has received national recognition for its performance under each of them.
On school education, Dr. Saha mentioned several ongoing programmes including smart classrooms, ICT-based learning, Tinkering Labs, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Mission Mukul, Nipun Tripura, and Vidya Setu as part of a broader effort to raise the quality of learning across the state.
On tribal welfare, he said the number of Eklavya Model Residential Schools in Tripura has grown from four to 21, and he has already requested the Centre to sanction 15 more. "I raised this in Delhi and I will keep pushing for it," he said. The daily stipend for tribal students has been raised from Rs 45 under the previous government to Rs 80, and further to Rs 100 under the current administration. The PM Janman Prakalpa, he added, is bringing electricity, roads, mobile connectivity, and improved education to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group communities across the state.
Dr. Saha said women now make up more than 50 percent of elected representatives in the three-tier Panchayat system and nearly half in the Agartala Municipal Corporation and other urban bodies. Under the Mukhyamantri Kanya Atmanirbhar Yojana, 120 scooties have been distributed to girl students pursuing higher education, and female college students have been exempted from paying tuition fees. Working women's hostels have been built, and self-defence training is being provided to girls in schools.
The number of self-help groups has grown from around 4,000 to 5,000 earlier to 55,000 now, with nearly five lakh women enrolled. Of the target of 1.18 lakh Lakhpati Didis, 1.08 lakh have already been achieved. Under the Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah Yojana, families from the Antyodaya category receive Rs 50,000 as a one-time grant for their daughters' weddings. "Women constitute 50 percent of the population. When a girl gets a quality education, the family grows with her, society grows, and so does the state," Dr. Saha said.
Dr. Saha said that in terms of law and order, Tripura now ranks among the safest states in the country, with crime figures placing it second from the bottom nationally. "Investors look at law and order before they come. People feel safe here, and that is making a difference," he said.
