Agartala, Oct 1: The Tripura government has extended the Mukhyamantri Yuba Jogajog Yojana for two more years with a budget allocation of Rs 20 crore for 2026, alongside launching increased startup grants of up to Rs 40 lakh under Digi-SAPNE 3.0, Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha announced Thursday at the Women's College campus.
Speaking at the launch event of various tech initiatives at the renovated Matangini Pritilata Sabhagriha, the Chief Minister emphasized the need to transform students from job seekers into job creators. Detailing the extension of the smartphone grant scheme for final-year undergraduate students, Dr. Saha said, "We are providing a one-time maximum financial assistance of Rs 5,000 so that they can buy smartphones". He added that for the 2026 budget, Rs 20 crore has already been sanctioned for this extension. He noted that between 2021 and the 2025-26 fiscal year, 63,249 students benefited from the scheme, costing the state Rs 31.62 crore.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister highlighted the rollout of Digi-SAPNE 3.0 in Tripura, a startup acceleration program backed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. "If the business and technology innovations of these startups can be expedited, there is an opportunity to provide them grants of up to Rs 40 lakh, which was earlier Rs 10 lakh," he stated.
During the event, Dr. Saha also launched the Seva First Innovation Challenge 2026 as part of the ongoing 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan'. The challenge features five core themes aimed at solving grassroots issues in sectors like health, agriculture, and the environment. "The local talent should seek solutions to these problems, and if we can solve them, we can utilize it for the benefit of the larger society," the Chief Minister observed.
Furthermore, touching upon the development of educational infrastructure, he announced a major upgrade for the venue's host institution. "We are upgrading Women's College into a university," he confirmed, adding that the cabinet and the state assembly have already passed the relevant legislation. Reportedly, the Matangini Pritilata Sabhagriha itself was recently renovated at a cost of Rs 2.62 crore. The event was attended by Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy, Higher Education Minister Kishor Barman, and other senior state and central IT officials.
