Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) resounding victory in Tripura is a manifestation of the unstoppable Modi juggernaut. Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took charge in 2014, he has paid special attention to the development of the Northeast, with the PM visiting NE more than 50 times in the last eight and a half years. A plan has been prepared to revive the development of the Northeast on the basis of HIRA i.e. ‘Highway, Internet & Waterways, Railway and Airways.’ PM Modi has changed the ‘Look East’ policy to the ‘Act East’ policy. The Modi government has spent a massive Rs 3.45 lakh crore for the Northeast region in the last eight and a half years, which equals the cumulative spending in the 25 years before that. In comparison to the 13th Finance Commission, the 14th Finance Commission has given 183 percent more funds to the Northeast.
In the education sector, Vidyajyoti schools were launched in January 2022 to boost the quality of education; quality augmentation schemes like Nutan Disha, the inauguration of National Law University, National Forensic Science University, three new government degree colleges and two degree colleges were inaugurated as well. The average income of farmers increased by 68 percent from Rs 6580 in 2015 to Rs 11,096 in 2021, thanks to schemes like PM Kisan and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and the declaration of the queen pineapple as Tripura’s state fruit.
Under the Ayushman Bharat health scheme, over 13 lakh cards were distributed and claims worth Rs 106 crore were settled for 1.84 lakh beneficiaries. Tripura got its first government dental college under the BJP.
On the women and child welfare front, the BJP government reserved 33 percent of government jobs for women, made education free for female students at government colleges and provided medical facilities to 1.9 lakh pregnant women in Tripura. A new Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) was opened and 13 more are being constructed for tribal students of the state. As per BJP’s 2018 poll promise, the government set up Tripura Tribal Folk Music College, apart from encouraging education in different tribal dialects.
Among the achievements in the tribal welfare segment is the introduction of the Chakma, Garo, Manipuri and Bishnupriya Manipuri languages, in the higher classes. The foundation stone for an international Buddhist university was laid in south Tripura. The Darlong community was included in the list of scheduled tribes after the Lok Sabha passed the Constitution Order Bill 2022.
The Northeast no longer suffers from the tyranny of distance, thanks to the dynamic outreach by PM Modi. Setting up of over two lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural), 87,217 houses under the PMAY (Urban), and drinking water pipelines for more than 3.93 lakh households under the Modi government’s Jal Jeevan Mission in Tripura, are noteworthy. Also, recently, 247 km of six new national highways and four in-principle national highways were upgraded to the double-lane standard with paved shoulders. Over 34,528 people in Tripura benefitted from the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) scheme. The trade volume between Tripura and Bangladesh rose by 158 percent last year and a special economic zone was set up at Sabroom to attract private investments in export-oriented units.
On the governance and law & order front, a special Court was set up in Agartala under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and new fast-track special courts were set up in Agartala and Kailashahar for the speedy disposal of cases related to crimes against women and children. Meanwhile, rapes and dowry deaths have declined by 10 percent in Tripura, molestations have come down by 35 percent and incidents of eve-teasing have reduced by 60 percent. Overall, crimes against women have come down by nearly 30 percent. Under the Left government, for 25 years, Tripura was in the throes of “Jungle Raaj.” Today, thanks to Prime Minister Modi’s far-sightedness, the Northeast has been mainstreamed like never before. Almost 32 percent of Tripura’s population is tribal in composition, while in the case of Nagaland, the tribal population is 90 percent of the total population.
The fact that all eight NE states are voting in large numbers for PM Modi’s inclusive model of governance speaks volumes about how the Modi model has truly ensured last-mile delivery to those who were barred from even the basic amenities of life under successively repressive Leftist regimes. As for the Congress, it has completely lost its mojo and continues with its splendid track record of winning “moral victories.” Suffice it to say, Tripura’s election outcome is yet another vindication of how the Modi magic has only strengthened over time.
Sanju Verma is an Economist, National Spokesperson of the BJP and the Bestselling Author of ‘The Modi Gambit’. Views expressed are personal.
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