BJP’s ‘Chalo Paltai’ chant is now showing the signs of newly transformed Tripura — liquor to flow to drench the dry coffer in Tripura.
Tripura has no bar and pub till date. But the cash-starved state under the new BJP-led government is likely to shrug off this puritan attitude and allow bars and pubs to come up.
If one goes by what Tripura’s Finance Secretary K Nagaraju proposed on Sunday, it is clear that the new government will promote bar and pub culture in the state to garner more revenues.
Nagaraju on Sunday made it a point that though Tripura is having no bar till date but when it comes to consumption of liquor, it records for more than the national average per head.
“There is no reason for not having any bar or pub which shall not only help in providing safe space to drink responsibly but also boost business, tourism and revenue,” Nagaraju said.
Nagaraju said this in presence of the Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Jishnu Dev Barman during a press conference Sunday evening in the secretariat.
For the last five years it was like ‘Nagaraju proposes and the Left disposes’. The finance secretary of the state has been proposing for opening of bars and pubs in Tripura for the last five years during the Left rule. But the ‘puritan’ Left put his proposal in cold storage for ‘ideological’ issue.
However this time his proposal may see the light of the day under the ‘progressive’ BJP government.
The newly formed government in Tripura which assumed office on March 9 last, reviewed the status of financial condition of the state and came to the conclusion that fiscal liability of the state is estimated at Rs 11,355.53 crores.
Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Jishnu Debbarma said there was no balance in the receipt and expenditure during the previous government. Manik Sarkar government failed to utilize several thousands of crores given to the state under various central government flagship programmes.
Debbarma, however, affirmed that despite serious financial crisis inherited by the new government is determined to fulfill the promises made to the people – including implementation of the seventh pay commission and for which an additional amount of Rs 1459.51 crore shall be required annually.
Debbarma said the state government is coming out with a roadmap to rationalize expenditure, generate more revenues and access more funds from the union government.
Chief Minister Biplab Deb along with Deputy CM Jishnu Debbarma left for New Delhi and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. They will also meet Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in this regard.