Agartala, April 28:
Wrapping up his three-day maiden official visit to Tripura, DoNER Secretary Sanjay Jaju highlighted the state’s strong economic momentum while stressing the need to accelerate the pace of certain ongoing development projects. His remarks came after a comprehensive review meeting held at the State Guest House in Agartala.
The high-level meeting, attended by Tripura Chief Secretary JK Sinha and senior officials, evaluated the status of major infrastructure, tourism, and livelihood initiatives supported by central funding. These included projects under PM-DevINE, agarwood value addition efforts, and tourism-linked employment generation under the Matabari Tourism Circuit.
During the visit, Jaju travelled to Fulbari in North Tripura district, widely regarded as the state’s agarwood hub, and inspected a range of ongoing projects tied to tourism and infrastructure development.
He also engaged directly with agarwood cultivators and stakeholders involved in value addition and export-oriented initiatives, identifying the sector as a key driver of Tripura’s future economic growth.
Speaking to reporters after the review, Jaju described Tripura’s recent economic performance as highly encouraging, noting that the state has doubled its GDP over the past five to six years.
He termed the achievement “a matter of pride,” pointing to it as evidence of sustained policy impact and administrative focus.
Reiterating the Centre’s support, he said the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region would continue to actively back Tripura’s growth journey. At the same time, he flagged that while several projects are progressing well, some require tighter monitoring and faster execution. Acting on this, the Chief Secretary has already instructed departments to strengthen supervision and ensure timely completion.
Jaju also situated Tripura’s development within the broader ‘Ashtalakshmi’ vision for the Northeast under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, emphasizing that the visit aimed to deepen institutional support and identify new avenues of collaboration.
Outlining priority areas, he expressed confidence in expanding assistance to agarwood farmers, strengthening tourism infrastructure, and advancing the Queen Pineapple USP programme. The initiative, he noted, is under weekly review guided by Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
He further reiterated the Centre’s commitment to expediting projects aligned with the mandated 10 percent budget allocation for the Northeast across ministries, ensuring that policy intent translates into tangible outcomes on the ground.
Describing his engagement with the state administration as “highly insightful,” Jaju conveyed optimism about continued Centre-state coordination to sustain and accelerate Tripura’s development trajectory.
The visit and review underline a focused effort to convert policy backing into on-ground delivery, reinforcing Tripura’s position as an emerging growth engine in the Northeast.
