Tripura dy CM meets Sitharaman; demands AIIMS-like institution, funds for tribal devpt

Tripura Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma has met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and placed several demands including an AIIMS-like institution and funds for the development of tribal areas, an official said on Saturday. Dev Varma, during a pre-budget consultation meeting in New Delhi on Friday, also sought funds for establishing a law university and a dental college.

The deputy chief minister said that the AIIMS-like institution on the Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) premises will offer premier healthcare facilities to the people of the region.
He thanked the Union finance minister for granting an outlay of over Rs 700 crore to Tripura during the current fiscal.

Dev Varma demanded further sanction of Rs 414 crore for establishing a dental college in Agartala, Rs 200 crore for a law university in the state and a special package of Rs 500 crore for the all-round development of areas under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).

He also proposed the setting up of an integrated plant for the production of grey fertiliser and green hydrogen in partnership with the Centre.

The deputy chief minister said that Tripura is providing viability gap funding (VGF) for starting air connectivity between Dhaka and Agartala, and urged the Centre to provide VGF for starting another service between Agartala and Chittagong.