Summary:
"The Prime Minister and finance minister made several promises before the assembly election. He also sought a health institute along the lines of AIIMS.The principal secretary assured that all the issues would be properly examined and action taken at the earliest. AGARTALA: Having routed the Left after its 25-year-long hold on the state, the newly-instated BJP-led government in the state faces the task of following through on the promises that paved its way to power. Unless additional financial support is extended from the Centre, it will not be possible to fulfil the promises," Tripura chief minister Biplab Deb told TOI on Saturday.Deb met the principal secretary of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Narendra Mishra, in New Delhi on Friday and submitted a list of his demands for the state.Deb has asked for a special financial assistance of Rs 20,000 crore, that includes an additional grant of Rs 11,000 crore for implementation of the 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations in the state and manage the "financial liabilities" of the previous government. The chief minister has also sought a one-time relaxation of academic and professional qualifications, laid down by the National Council of Teacher's Education, to fill up 12,222 vacancies in teachers' posts.Deb has also sought the PMO's attention to the demand for a CBI inquiry into the murder of two journalists - Shantanu Bhowmik and Sudip Datta Bhowmik - in the state last year and a probe into 63 cases of chit fund pending with the department of personnel and training.Highlighting the dependence of the state's economy on agriculture, Deb has sought a central agriculture university in the state..