Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti Yojana will play an important role in the development of power and communication systems in the state. The Department of Industry and Commerce will act as the nodal department for implementation of this scheme. A master plan will be taken up for this. The central government has allocated Rs. 35 crore to the Department of Industry and Commerce for this purpose in the current financial year.
Abhishek Chandra, Special Secretary of the Department of Industry and Commerce said this in a press conference at the Secretariat on 2nd September, 2022. He said that the Tripura Industrial Development Corporation has taken initiatives to develop industrial infrastructure in all the industrial centres of the state.
For this, necessary financial assistance will be sought from the Asian Development Bank. He also said that the Tripura Industrial Development Corporation has taken initiatives to develop the infrastructure of Sabroom Special Economic Zone. Industrial Development Corporation has prepared an RFP for selection of entrepreneurs. In the press conference, the Special Secretary said that the Destination Tripura-Business Summit
was organised on December 9 and 10, 2021 to encourage investment in the potential sectors of the state. Over a hundred industrialists and entrepreneurs from Bangladesh and India participated in this summit. A total of 81 MoUs were signed in this summit covering agriculture, animal husbandry, tourism, IT sector etc. A proposed investment of around Rs 2,800 crore was signed.
He also said that the amount of foreign trade with Bangladesh has increased by 158 percent in the last 4 years. In the financial year 2017-18, where the amount of foreign trade was Rs. 390 crores 68 lakhs, it has increased to Rs. 1,008 crores 40 lakhs in the financial year 2021-22. In the press conference, the Special Secretary said that besides increasing the production of pineapple and jackfruit in the state, the Department of Industry and Commerce has launched the Tripura Pineapple and Jackfruit Mission with the aim of creating skilled workers and employment. He said that there are currently rubber plantations in 46 thousand 892 hectares in Tripura, Rubber production is 90 thousand 712 tpa.
The Chief Minister’s Rubber Mission aims at raising rubber plantations in another 30.000 hectares. The Department of Industry and Commerce aims at undertaking the Mini Rubber Mission to increase rubber production and solve problems in production. The department has taken up the plan to construct a modern smoke house and rubber processing centre under PMEGP and Swavalamban scheme for increasing the quality of rubber sheets. A plan to set up a tea auction centre has been taken up for the development of the tea industry. He said that in the financial year 2021-22, a total of 155 young women have been given loans of Rs. 61 crore 46 lakhs under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme.
In the press conference, the Special Secretary of the Department of Industry and Commerce said that the entrepreneurship development programme has been conducted with 390 beneficiaries of different self-help groups under the Sankalp scheme in the skill development programme. 258 women have been trained in different handloom clusters under the Samarth scheme with the financial support of Jal Jeevan Mission and 340 people have been trained.
The press conference was also attended by the Director of Industry and Commerce Department, Swapna Debnath, Director of Skill Development Department, Sanjay Chakraborty.
