AGARTALA, May17 (TIWN):Jitendra Chaudhury, before resigning as Minister for Industries and Commerce from Tripura council of minister will lay the foundation stone of a new tea processing factory for small tea growers on May 20 morning at Brahmakunda under Mohanpur sub-division in West Tripura district.

Speaking to reporters at secretariat on Saturday evening for the last times as member of state cabinet he said, “Tripura is the 5th largest tea producing state in India, with 60 Tea Estates and about 3000 small tea growers, producing annually about 7.5 million kg of tea. This factory will help small tea growers to get good price of the raw tea leaves, “

Jitendra Chaudhury was elected with a massive margin of over 4 lakh votes above his nearest contender Congress candidate Sachitra Debbarma at East Tripura parliament constituency in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls.He said that an estimated investment of Rs. 5 crore was made for setting up the factory. The funds were sanctioned from the NEC with 10 percent share of the state government.

The Ministry of Labour has approved two more ITIs for Tripura. Rs. 5 crore 86 lakh reached the state government for implementation of the same in the first phase stated the outgoing minister. The institutes would be set up at Kanchanpur and Gandacherra sub-division, he said. The state is having 13 operational ITIs across 12 sub-divisions; construction work for four more is currently in progress.

Chaudhury also expressed dismay over delay in releasing of MGNREGA funds even though for consecutive five years the state topped in the country in implementing the programme. He said that Tripura was given the first installment of funds for implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MG NREGS). Rs. 108 crore 73 lakh 96 thousand reached the state government recently as a part of the total first phase fund requirement of Rs. 550 crore.