Guwahati: The Tripura Rural Economic Growth and Service Delivery Project (TRESP), a World Bank-funded multi-sectoral initiative, is progressing steadily, with authorities aiming to complete it by 2029, a senior official confirmed on Sunday.
According to Gajendra Verma, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of TRESP, the project’s top priority is the construction of over 416 km of all-weather roads, a major component essential for meeting the timeline. “We’ve completed 71.49 km so far, and construction is in progress for another 133.41 km. Additionally, we’ve issued work orders for a further 133.41 km,” Verma said.
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The project has allocated more than Rs 500 crore, from the total outlay of Rs 1,400 crore, to build strong road infrastructure that will stimulate economic growth in rural and tribal regions.
Verma noted that TRESP aims to benefit 23 rural development blocks, including 11 identified as ‘aspirational blocks’. As part of its investment in human capital, the project will also include the construction of 12 new school buildings, all located in tribal-dominated areas. “We’ve prepared Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), and construction has already begun for four schools,” he added.
To improve education quality, the project will include training programs for teachers across different categories to enhance their skills and effectiveness.
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The initiative also focuses on building institutional capacity through the formation of producer groups (PGs) under the Tripura Rural Livelihood Management (TRLM) program. Verma stated that authorities have already set up 2,000 PGs out of the 2,500 targeted.
The project plans to enhance citizen service delivery by developing single-window platforms, accessible via mobile and web, to streamline access to various government schemes. “We’ve engaged a firm to conduct a study and recommend IT solutions, including government process re-engineering. The proposal currently covers 144 services and schemes,” Verma explained.
In addition, the Tripura Space Application Centre (TSAC) will bring on board a firm to integrate a dashboard system that will manage mobile data collection, processing, dissemination, and visualization in real time.
Launched in March 2024, TRESP receives Rs 1,120 crore in funding from the World Bank, making it one of Tripura’s most ambitious rural development projects to date.