Agartala, Feb 21(PTI) Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Monday accused his predecessor Manik Sarkar of leading the youth into the abyss of drug abuse by not taking steps to curb the problem during the nearly 25-year reign of the Left Front government in the border state.
The BJP-IPFT (Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura) alliance in the northeastern state had ended the nearly 25 years of the Left Front rule in 2018.
If you take the credit of commencing the new terminal building of MBB (Maharaja Bir Bikram) Airport, you must own the responsibility for driving the young generation to take drugs like brown sugar and cocaine, the chief minister said at a government programme at Manikpur, a remote tribal village of Dhalai district.
Deb laid foundation stones for three bridges with an estimated cost of Rs. 5.33 crore in presence of East Tripura MP Rebati Tripura.
Lamenting over the drug menace in Tripura, the chief minister said a section of youths has started taking injections putting their lives at risk of contracting HIV.
It was Biplab Kumar Deb, who had raised the slogan of making Tripura a drug free state after becoming Chief Minister of the state in 2018. Now, the government is showing zero tolerance to drugs to make the slogan true, he said.
The chief minister also highlighted that the BJP-IPFT government does not consider the political affiliation of an individual when it comes to any development schemes, be it flagship or state-sponsored .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sanctioned 1.50 lakh dwelling units under PMAY in September 2021 and Rs. 709 crore has been released as the first instalment. The beneficiaries include several CPI(M) poor families which show the government’s clean mindset. During the Left Front regime, the list of beneficiaries was prepared based on caste, creed and colour, he claimed.
Deb further said the Centre has already released Rs. 100 crore for the second instalment of PMAY and each beneficiary will receive it shortly.
The Centre will sanction 70,000 more dwelling units for the state by March or April this year, he added.