AGARTALA, Dec 25 (TIWN): Not only the Modi Govt. but now President Pranab Mukherjee also called for public private partnership to overcome deficiencies in infrastructure in the country. Like other states there are many deficiencies also in Tripura, but the attitude of the ruling Govt here, which is set to oppose the business-model, has left the state without any hope. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar during his speeches at FICCI organized NE the summit said that ‘PPP model is bogus’. Whereas experts also prefers the private enterprises interference in developing Northeast, Sarkar said it’s a bogus policy. Against the country's rapid economic growth, its infrastructure sector has been marred by under-investment for some years, which can be addressed by resolution of the challenges in the PPP model.

But due to non-interest of the Tripura Govt the PPP model was never applied to enlarge Tripura’s infrastructure resulting “Full Dependency on the Central Funds”. 

To fight with NITI Aayog member Bibek  Debroy, who said, ‘every states know by their own potentialities as central can push the states to some level but not all the time’, Sarkar said, ‘Modi’s Act East Policy exploiting Northeast’. But due to lack of vision, Tripura has experienced ‘no’ revenue generation since the govt is in power and thus it has failed to implement any Finance Commission.

However, expressing concern over the deficiencies in the healthcare infrastructure, he said the only long-lasting solution was to create cooperative structures comprising the government and private stake holders as well as civil society.

In his address at the inauguration of Bansilal Malani College of Nursing established by NGO Mahila Dakshata Samiti, the President said the developmental goals of health, education and livelihood cannot be achieved by the government alone and such co-operative structures were relevant for all these sectors.

He noted that there is a phenomenal shortage of about 2.4 million nurses with their numbers decreased from about 1.65 million in 2009 to about 1.56 million in 2015. 

"This indicated a worrisome trend. At the same time, our infrastructure also comprises of just 1.53 lakh sub-centres, 85,000 PHCs (Primary Helath Centres) and about 5,000 Community Health Centres in a nation of 130 crore people living in more than 5,000 towns and 6.4 lakh villages," he said.

"It is essential to look for models wherein all stakeholders participate rather than the government alone," he added.

The President praised the leading role played by the Mahila Dakshata Samiti in women's empowerment, recalling the contributions of the Samiti's founding members such as Suman Krishankant, Pramila Dandavate and Mridula Sinha, now the Governor of Goa.

"Real empowerment of women would be possible only through education, encouragement of economic self-dependence and provision of opportunities enabling the unfolding of one's full potential.

"It is unfortunate that today when average overall literacy in India was 74 per cent, women's literacy is less than 65 per cent," Mukherjee said.

"A society which does not empower its women will end up as a loser. Renewed efforts in this direction are needed," he added.