AGARTALA, March 4 (TIWN): Even though Northeast states are under special category and the BJP Central Govt claims that 100% funding is given from centre for Northeast states, Tripura BJP Chief Minister in a parents meeting conducted at Tulsibati school on Sunday said that for school infrastructure development, he needs to collect revenue and from state budget only developmental projects can be taken in hands. “I also want each class-room of state’s school will have AC and purifiers should be fit before each class-room but for that I need proper revenue. We have to be practical. Only after increasing state’s income, we can develop the infrastructure. Bihar and Bengal Govts will not give me revenue, but I have to manage my own funding”, Biplab Deb said. It was believed that once BJP comes in power, massive funding will be given from centre and long deprivation to the Northeast state Tripura will be ended, but so far no funding from the centre and Govt continues high taxation amid downing economy.BJP Govt is propagating “tax free” budget which is however in reality is not “tax free” rather no tax was increased further.

This budget has gone at zero-deficit this time too, with no hope for the economic growth or any central fund drawing. 

CPI-M Govt always made negative budget amid limited economic capacity, but even after having same govt in state and centre there is nothing special announcement.

 Tripura Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma on Monday presented a Rs 17,530.46 crore tax-free budget for 2019-20, containing several new schemes including providing two cows per family to raise milk production, free bicycles to girl students and a monthly payment to families with houses on roads to plant trees. CM Biplab Deb has termed it as a 'historical budget'.

 Tabling the budget on the second day of the session, Dev Varma, who holds the Finance portfolio, said that there is no deficit in the budget, the second presented by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance government.

In his one-and-a-quarter-hour-long speech, he said that the "philosophy of the budget is collective action and inclusive growth" and with better tax management, the government would increase its own revenue in the coming fiscal (2019-20). 

Dev Varma said that to increase India-Bangladesh border trade, infrastructure has have been developed along the border and the state government has proposed to the Central government to set up seven more "Border Haats".

There are currently two "Border Haats" in southern and western Tripura.

"Following the constant persuasion by the Tripura government through the Central government, the Bangladesh government has allowed import of 11 restricted items (including natural rubber) through selected land customs stations of Tripura," he said.

Dev Varma also said that state government is making serious efforts to develop Tripura as the information technology hub of northeast India.

He said that the government also proposes to develop 10 of the total of 58 less developed rural development blocks, where additional rice was distributed last year free among the distressed people, as "model blocks".

Among other programmes, he said the process has been initiated for providing 10,000 cows (two cows per family) to women members of 5,000 families to boost milk production, while Rs 200 per month would be given to the families residing along the roads for maintaining roadside plantations which "would make Tripura a beautiful state and attract the tourists".

For women's empowerment, around 30,000 girl students studying in class 9 would be provided free bicycles, irrespective of their families' income, he said.

Dev Varma also said that several awards were introduced to encourage meritorious youths in the field of education, sports and culture, to recognise outstanding work of civil servants and to boost quality education by teachers.

He said that as per the BJP's pre-poll promise, the government has also initiated giving free smart mobile phones to all students who have completed their graduation.

He said that the rate of monthly pension would be increased to Rs 1,000 for the 30 social security pension schemes benefiting 4,05,175 poor and needy people. These pension schemes were launched by the previous Left Front government.