Agartala, Oct 2 (PTI) Chief Minister Manik Saha said Tripura will change once the ongoing infrastructure projects in the state are completed.
The construction work for the 16-story building where almost all government departments will be housed has got underway at Gurkhabasti in Agartala, he told reporters at his residence here on Wednesday evening.
Saha said the multi-storey building, designed in a pendulum-style, will be earthquake-resistant.
The foundation stone for setting up Unity Mall has been laid at Amtali in West Tripura, and a multi-level car parking place is also coming up in the heart of the city, he said.
The state government has signed an MoU with the Tata group to convert the iconic Pushpabant Palace into a five-star hotel, he said, adding the state's face will change once the development projects are completed.
Claiming that Tripura is on the right path, the CM said, "We are second-highest in GSDP and per capita income among the northeastern states. The government has invested in infrastructure building to speed up growth and development." "The budget has been hiked from Rs 27,000 crore in 2024-25 FY to Rs 32,000 crore in 20226 FY. The net increase of Rs 4,000 crore is not a simple issue in a small state like Tripura", he said.
Saha said the present government has been working to fill the vacant posts in various departments.
"So far, we have filled up over 20,000 regular posts since 2018, and the process is on to provide more employment in the government sector. In addition, several people are engaged in MSMEs", he said.
The CM said the government has been releasing DA to the employees on a regular basis to reduce the gap in pay with central government employees.
"When I assumed office as Chief Minister (in 2022), the government employees used to get only 3 per cent DA, and now it is 29 per cent despite resource constraints. The government needs to pay Rs 100 crore to release one per cent DA to 1.03 lakh employees and around 83,000 pensioners", he added. PTI PS RG