Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on Friday emphasized the importance of nurturing a mindset of social responsibility among students from their school days.
He said education and knowledge are the true tools for transforming lives and emerging from darkness into light.
Students must strive to establish themselves early in life and aim to contribute positively to society. The more knowledge they acquire, the more complete they become as individuals, said the Chief Minister while addressing a felicitation programme at Rabindra Shatabarshiki Bhavan, Agartala.
The event was jointly organized by the All Tripura NGO Boarding Welfare Trust and the All Tripura NGO Boarding Development Committee to honour Janajati students from boarding houses who successfully cleared TBSE and CBSE board examinations.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched several welfare initiatives aimed at the holistic development of Janajati communities across the country. The state government is also implementing various schemes to uplift the socio-economic condition of Janajati people in Tripura, including investments in education and cultural development.
Dr. Saha said that the government has allocated funds every year for the development of ST hostels. In the 2024–25 financial year, a support of Rs. 23 lakh has been provided for hostels catering to Janajati students.
He also highlighted the ‘Dharti Aaba Janajatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan’ launched by the Prime Minister for the overall development of Janajati villages. Under this initiative, 20 new hostels are being constructed in tribal-dominated areas of the state. Apart from education, the state government is also focusing on improving infrastructure for drinking water, health, agriculture, fisheries, and forest development in these areas.
As a token of appreciation, the Chief Minister said, the Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) are playing a vital role in implementing government plans to ensure access to quality education for students from Janajati communities.
He said that currently, around 16,500 students are pursuing their studies in 192 boarding managed by the dedicated NGOs—creating a strong foundation for an educated and empowered future.
“Though Tripura is the third smallest state in the country, we are doing great work in many parameters. Around 85% of Janajati houses are connected with drinking water. Wherever it is not possible, we have used innovative ideas to provide drinking water. Earlier, Janajati people had to suffer a lot,” said Dr. Saha.
He also mentioned that the government was in touch with BSNL and Airtel to install more towers for improving telecommunication services in Janajati areas.
Janajati Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma stressed that no community can progress without education. He noted that the state government is running scholarship programmes and other initiatives to promote the education of tribal students.
Among others present at the programme were Tapati Kalai, president of the All Tripura NGO Boarding Welfare Trust, Bimal Debbarma, secretary; and prominent social worker Bipin Debbarma.