Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday announced that the state will soon introduce a comprehensive Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy, describing it as a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country. The policy will be formulated with the support of the Atal Innovation Mission and NITI Aayog.
Speaking after inaugurating the State Innovation Mission in Agartala, Dr. Saha said the AI policy aims to position Tripura as a technology-driven state and promote innovation-led growth. He further announced that AI-based solutions would be introduced for city management in Agartala to address persistent urban challenges such as traffic congestion, parking shortages, uninterrupted power supply, access to safe drinking water, flood control, and solid and liquid waste management.
The Chief Minister also revealed that the state is in the process of establishing an AI Centre of Excellence with assistance from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. In addition, the government is planning to set up a Tripura IT and Data Economic Zone to strengthen the IT, IT-enabled services (ITES), and data centre ecosystem in the state.
Highlighting the growing demand for software enterprises in Tripura, Dr. Saha said IT parks would be developed to provide integrated campuses with co-working spaces, thereby encouraging startups and technology firms to expand operations within the state.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh, praised Tripura for taking the lead in launching the State Innovation Mission and setting an example for other states and Union Territories. He said NITI Aayog has decided to establish 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs across the country, expanding on the nearly 10,000 labs already rolled out in recent years.
Dr. Singh also commended Tripura for having 150 functional startups despite its small size. Noting that India now has around two lakh startups compared to just 350–400 in 2014, he described the State Innovation Mission as a strong example of cooperative and competitive federalism, asserting that “when states innovate, the country accelerates.”
Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Suman Bery, linked the initiative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2022 call to transform India into a developed nation by 2047 under the Viksit Bharat vision. He emphasized that expanding the economy through innovation would be crucial to achieving this national goal.
