TRIPURAHERALD

The state government has set a target to procure at least 35,000 Metric Tonnes (MT) of paddy directly from the farmers, starting from July 11. Minister for food and civil supplies Sushanta Chowdhury on Monday chaired a high level review meeting here at the secretariat through video conferencing with the officials of the concerned departments.

During the meeting the minister said that the department along with the state agriculture department is jointly working to directly purchase 35,000 metric tonnes of paddy from farmers during the current Rabi season, beginning from July 11. The procurement will be made at a minimum support price of Rs 2, 040 per quintal, he said.

As part of the process of procurement, at least 40 centres will be opened across the state, where a single farmer can sell up-to 50 quintals of paddy. 

The minister has instructed the officials to ensure that farmers are not harassed in any way while selling paddy and also to keep a close watch to ensure that farmers are not forced to sell paddy at less than the minimum support price.

Special Secretary Raval Hemendra Kumar, Director of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department Sharadindu Das, Additional Director Animesh Debbarma, among other officials were present in the meeting.

Minister of SC Welfare, Fishery & ARDD Sudhangshu Das felicitated all the students of Fatikroy those got first and second division in the secondary and higher secondary exams at Nazrul Kalakshetra in Fatikroy on Sunday.

Addressing in the event Minister of SC Welfare, Fishery & ARDD Sudhangshu Das said, you need to believe in yourself. Start competing with yourself and make sure that your present is better than your past. “Integrity, honesty and hard work cannot be compensated by any other shortcut. Integrity and hard work are key to success in every field or endeavor in our life,” the minister said. He wished for brighter future of the students.

Minister of SC Welfare, Fishery & ARDD Sudhangshu Das felicitated 600 students. The initiative of the minister showed great enthusiasm among the students.

The repairing work of the Kamalasagar-Tarapur border haat located in the Sepahijala district of Tripura will begin soon. Once the repair jobs are completed, a joint inspection will be conducted to take a final call on the reopening of the border haat, said an official Sunday.

The Kamalasagar-Tarapur border haat was shut during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is expected to reopen by the end of July, said Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Bishalgarh Binoy Bhusan Das.

Border haats are weekly markets along the India-Bangladesh border where vendors from both countries sell their products. In Tripura, there are two border haats which are the Srinagar border haat situated in the South district of Tripura, and the Kamalasagar-Tarapur border haat located in the Sepahijala district.

It is to be mentioned here that on July 15 officials from both countries have conducted an assessment of the Kamalasagar-Tarapur border haat market. Representatives from Bangladesh, including Kasba Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Mohammad Amimul Ehsan Khan, Assistant Commissioner (Land) Sanjib Sarkar, Upazila Engineer Md Saiful Islam, and from Tripura, Engineers A Debnath, Sabyasachi Debnath, Bishalgarh BDO Anurag Sen, Engineer Arindam Bhattacharya, Manjit Das, and BSF Company Commander Surender Singh were present during the evaluation. The team examined the damages of the Kamalasagar-Tarapur border haat infrastructure. 

To help the meritorious and needy students Umapada Burman and Anjali Burman Charitable Trust organized a programme in which 60 meritorious and needy students were given one-time financial aid at Muktadhara Auditorium on Sunday. Former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and Trustees of Umapada Burman and Anjali Burman Charitable Trust were present in the programme.

Addressing in the programme former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar thanked the Umapada Burman and Anjali Burman Charitable Trust for their work towards the society. Lots of students got help from Umapada Burman and Anjali Burman Charitable Trust, not only that i have also sent several students who also got help from the trust, said Manik Sarkar.

The Umapada Burman and Anjali Burman Charitable Trust works throughout the year to help these meritorious and needy students, Manik Sarkar mentioned.  

In a gesture aimed at strengthening the longstanding friendship between India and Bangladesh, Tripura Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha has sent a delightful assortment of pineapples as a token of affection to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.The gift was received with gratitude and enthusiasm, further solidifying the amicable ties between the two nations. The meticulously chosen pineapples, renowned for their exquisite taste, were sent as a reciprocal gesture in response to the Haribhanga mangoes presented by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha on behalf of the Government of Bangladesh. The exchange of such delectable fruits signifies the mutual appreciation and goodwill shared by both leaders.The pineapples were dispatched through the Agartala-Akhaur integrated check post, today afternoon. The formal handover ceremony was overseen by esteemed representatives from the Tripura government, including Dr. Fani Bhushan Jamatia, Director of the Horticulture and Soil Conservation, Joint Director Shantanu Debbarma, Assistant Director Dr. Deepak Baidya, as well as Customs and Border Security Force officers from the Akhaura border.Dr. Fani Bhushan Jamatia informed that a total of 700 pieces of Kew variety pineapples were sent as a heartfelt gesture from the Chief Minister. These delectable fruits were carefully packed in 100 cartons, with each box containing seven succulent pineapples.

A day after the ruckus took place in the first day of the monsoon assembly session, where at least 5 opposition legislators were suspended, the ruling BJP party on Saturday accused the senior opposition MLAs for tarnishing the sanctity of the assembly.

Addressing a press conference here at the party headquarter on Saturday, the BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharjee said, “People of the state did not wish to see such elected representatives or the law makers tarnish the decorum of the assembly.”

“We are all aware of what exactly happened in the assembly on the first day, where some senior legislators including some newly elected opposition legislators created ruckus in the assembly to tarnish the decorum of the assembly,” he said, adding that the people of the state will not entertain this.

He continued lambasting the opposition MLAs and said, “It was observed that some newly elected MLAs had instigated those senior MLAs to create a ruckus in the assembly and accordingly some started making derogatory remarks inside the assembly which is not acceptable.”

Meanwhile, the BJP state president Rajib Bhattacharjee termed the budget presented by the state finance minister Pranajit Singha Roy on Friday as ‘pro-prople’ budget and said, “This budget will benefit the people of all walks of life including the women.”

Underlining the new schemes and project works proposed in the budget, the BJP leader said that the party will organise thanksgiving rallies in all the ten organisational districts on Monday for presenting a ‘pro-people’ budget that ensures fulfilment of our dream of making Ek Tripura Shrestha Tripura.

In a major operation, Tripura Police arrested one person and seized cannabis (ganja) worth Rs 50 lakh from batbagan under Ambassa police station on Saturday.

The police stated that they received a crucial tip-off regarding one individual transporting a substantial quantity of cannabis (ganja) from Agartala towards Assam. Upon receiving the information, the police personnel from Ambassa police station intercepted a container vehicle bearing number MH12RN8984 at batbagan area under Ambassa police station.

During a meticulous search of the vehicle, police officials found 498 kg of dried cannabis (ganja) packaged in 36 packets. The arrested driver has been identified as Agwana Shankar Somnath (45) resident of Maharashtra. Moreover, the estimated value of the confiscated cannabis (ganja) in the illicit market amounts to approximately Rs 50 lakh. The seized cannabis (ganja) was intended for smuggling purposes beyond Tripura’s borders, police said.

A case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against the arrested driver of the container vehicle Agwana Shankar Somnath and he will be produced before the court on July 09, said police.

 For the first time in the history of Tripura, Chief Minister Dr.Manik Saha today inaugurated two special rooms along with baby care facility for the Women Legislators of the state at Tripura Legislative Assembly.

Speaker of Tripura Legislative Assembly Bishwabandhu Sen, Minister for Power, Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Law (Parliamentary Affairs), Election Ratan Lal Nath, Minister for Finance, Planning & Coordination, Information Technology Pranajit Singha Roy , Minister for Industries & Commerce, Jail (Home), Welfare of OBCs Santana Chakma, Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Transport, Tourism Sushanta Chowdhury, Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports, Social Welfare & Social Education, Labour Tinku Roy, Minister for Tribal Welfare, Handloom, Handicrafts & Sericulture, Statistics Bikash Debbarma, Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Animal Resource Development, Fisheries Sudhangshu Das, Minister for Cooperation, Tribal Welfare (TRP & PTG), Welfare of Minorites Sukla Charan Noatia, leader of opposition Animesh Debbarma and other MLAs were also present. 

In a joint operation BSF and Tripura Police arrested one person and seized cannabis (ganja) worth Rs 10 lakh from Ward No. 1 of Radhanagar area under Madhupur police station.

The police stated that they received a crucial tip-off regarding one individual having substantial quantity of cannabis (ganja) in his home. The BSF and Tripura Police raided the house of Zubar Ali resident of Ward No. 1 of Radhanagar. During the raid BSF and police found 200 kilograms of dried cannabis (ganja) packaged in nine packets. The owner of the house Zubar Ali was also arrested during the raid. Moreover, the estimated value of the confiscated cannabis (ganja) in the illicit market amounts to approximately Rs 10 lakh. The seized cannabis (ganja) was intended for smuggling purpose, police said.

A case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in this regard, the cops added.