Agartala, Jan 05: The Winter Session of Tripura Legislative Assembly commenced on Friday with the speech of Governor Indrasena Reddy Nallu.

On the first day of the third session of thirteenth Assembly, Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha announced that the fund under Bidhayak Elaka Unnayan Prakalpa (BEUP) would be hiked from Rs. 50 lakh to Rs. 75 Lakh.
Under this scheme, the total amount of funds for 60 MLAs would be increased from Rs. 30 crore to Rs. 45 crore. The decision will be effective from FY 2024-25.
Addressing the House, Dr. Saha announced that the current allocation for the MLA Area Development Scheme stands at Rs. 50 Lakhs per MLA per year, amounting to a total financial outlay of Rs. 30 crores for all 60 MLAs.
The Chief Minister expressed hope that the increased fund would give a boost to the development process. However, some members from the opposition bench demanded that the fund under BEUP be increased to Rs. 1 crore.
Soon after the announcement, Speaker Biswabandhu Sen adjourned the House till 11 am of January 8 next. On that day, the discussion on the Governor's speech will take place.
Meanwhile, the House mourned the demise of two sitting MLAs- Samsul Haque and Surajit Dutta. The Speaker also welcomed two new MLAs- Tofajjal Hossain and Bindu Debnath.
Governor Indrasena Reddy Nallu in his speech in the House on Friday said the government led by Dr. Manik Saha is committed to take the state’s development to new heights, in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While highlighting the major achievements and development plans of the State Government, the Governor said, fast progress with transparency is being observed in the important sectors like social, economic, healthcare, education and infrastructure.