Agartala, April 30: The Tripura government has decided to include 5,458 new beneficiaries under its social pension schemes as part of the 'Mukhyamantri Samajik Sahayata Prakalpa'.
Social Welfare and Social Education Minister Tinku Roy announced the decision in a press briefing at the Secretariat on Wednesday.
He said, the new beneficiaries will be included due to vacancies created following the inclusion of existing beneficiaries under central government schemes and due to the deaths of some previous recipients.
Speaking to the media, Roy shared an overview of the department’s recent achievements and on-going initiatives. He stated that the department currently implements 34 different types of social pension schemes (3 central and 31 state-run), benefiting around 3.90 lakh economically disadvantaged people in the state.
Highlighting key schemes, Roy mentioned the National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS), which provides Rs. 20,000 in financial aid to families when the primary breadwinner passes away. In the last year, 308 families received benefits under this scheme, amounting to a total disbursement of Rs. 61.60 lakh.
The Minister also said that 27,470 individuals, who were previously left out of aid between 2017 and 2023, have now been brought under financial assistance in the 2024–25 fiscal year. An allocation of Rs. 16.31 crore has been made for this purpose.
In the next financial year (2025–26), the government aims to provide financial assistance to 21,000 pregnant women, he said.
Roy also provided updates on the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). Tripura currently has 56 ICDS projects and has received approval to launch a new one in Ganganagar Block of Dhalai district.
"There are 10,222 Anganwadi centers across the state, serving 2,79,340 children (aged 6 months to 6 years) and 28,292 pregnant and lactating women," he said.
Additionally, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has approved upgradation of 474 Anganwadi Centres in Dhalai district to “Saksham” (empowered) Anganwadi centers, with Rs. 4.36 crore allocated for infrastructure improvement.
The state has also submitted a proposal to the Centre for transforming 2,000 Anganwadi centers into Smart Anganwadi Centers, and plans are in pipeline to upgrade 100 Anganwadi Centres in urban areas, including several within Agartala Municipal Corporation.
Roy added that the department is running a special program to support cancer patients from low-income backgrounds. Currently, 3,476 patients receive a monthly pension of Rs. 2,000 each, and the process is underway to include 131 more patients in the scheme.
Social Welfare Secretary Tapas Roy and Director Tapan Kumar Das were also present at the press conference.