AGARTALA, Feb 7 (TIWN): Eventhough, Congress during UPA Era failed to bring any trace of development across Northeast and it was the Modi era which initiated a infrastructure development across Northeast following the Act East Policy, but Tripura Pradesh Congress Youth Forum as a reaction to the Central 4rth Union Budget has burnt the effigy of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday before Congress Bhawan. Congress in its long ruling at Centre ended with meter gauge tracks till North Tripura, whereas within 3 years of Modi Governance Tripura got BG, 4 Express trains and many more projects ongoing with Central funds. From Direct beneficiary to MGNREGA Geo-tracking all have been invented by Modi Govt. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has undertaken a Rs 438 crore project to upgrade the Agartala airport to international standards by providing world-class facilities, which was a long cherished dream but left pending in Congress regime.

CPI-M in Tripura and Congress at Centre were well bonded, but they fully failed to bring any trace of development in this zone.However, after fruitful FYs for 3 years again the budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region has been hiked as it saw a hike of about Rs 158 crore with the initiative of Modi Govt. 

Central Govt had announced the budget 1 month early for the budget 2017-18 and according to allocations for important ministries, Rs 2,682 has been allocated for 2017-18 for the DoNER Ministry against Rs 2,524 for 2016-17.

The government's budget also suggests an increase of nearly 35 per cent in allocation for the north-eastern region across all ministries.

This substantial hike across ministries will directly benefit Tripura people and various developmental works can be done through it. Although earlier it was announced that no extra budget allocation will be done for Northeast in this current Financial Year but an allocation for the NER across all ministries in the Union Budget 2017-18 was Rs 43,250 against Rs 32,180 for 2016-17, reads the budget copy. Special attention has been paid to the economic development of the region from the Eighth Plan period onwards.

Infact Suresh Prahu also said on Jan 24 that Tripura & other Northeast states was and will be under special care of the Central Govt.

Although Tripura CPI-M state govt wanted extra allocation for Northeast, but the Govt was never ready to build up any industry or to develop the economy with its own finance commission. It’s to be mentioned, state Tripura even after pushing by the Central Govt never set up any Finance Commission here in Tripura, neither it could utilize the Central funds for state’s development.

It was said by Tripura former Finance Minister Badal Choudhury that during Congress Era, Tripura Govt managed to get extra Rs. 3200 from Centre, but the state Govt could never utilize the Central funds; rather the fund seeded the corruption which has gripped Tripura’s every Depts.

According to the ruling CPI-M party in Tripura the Central Govt has seized the power from states and left no chance for raise voice for funds and all other issues. Raising fund issues, the main problem with NITI Aayog is said by CPI-M politburos that funds has been slashed, the subsidy has been decreases, special category is no more and NITI Aayog left no space for ‘bargaining’. 

After NITI Aayog raised questioned over proper Utilization of funds, Tripura CPI-M’s main opponent is now NITI Aayog. CPI-M claimed, “Due to the adoption of a new policy at the Centre, Tripura lost Rs 1,356 crore in 2015-16”. However, 

But realizing all these the Govt couldn’t avoid Northeast fully and thus the announcement was done. 

On the other hand Modi Govt, in order to mobilise financial resources, a policy decision was taken to earmark at least 10 per cent of the plan budgets of the central ministries/departments for development of the north-eastern states.

Ten per cent of the annual plan budget of 52 ministries of the union government is earmarked every year for spending in the NER since 1998-99. The region has 7.9 per cent (2,62,179 sq.km out of 32,87,263 sq.km) of India's land mass and 3.76 per cent (4.55 crore out of 121 crore) of population, according to the Census 2011.

But Tripura Congress’s main opposition was and will never be CPI-M but due to its mutuality with CPI-M, they have been continued their fight against BJP Govt.