Authorities overseeing the World Bank-aided Tripura Rural Economic Growth and Service Delivery Project (TRESP) have committed to completing the multi-sectoral initiative by 2029, with significant progress being made in key infrastructure and governance components.

Chief Operating Officer of TRESP, Gajendra Verma, told PTI that the project’s major focus lies in building over 416 km of all-season roads, which are critical to driving rural economic development, particularly in tribal-dominated areas.“Out of the total 416.46 km, construction of 71.49 km has already been completed, with work ongoing on another 133.41 km. Work orders have also been issued for the remaining stretch,” Verma said.

A total of ₹500 crore—from the ₹1,400-crore project—has been dedicated to road development, aimed at improving connectivity and access in 23 rural development blocks, including 11 aspirational blocks.

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In addition to physical infrastructure, the project is investing in human capital, with plans to construct 12 school buildings in tribal regions. Work has commenced on four of these, and training programmes for school teachers are being rolled out to enhance educational delivery.

On the livelihood front, the project aims to empower rural communities through the formation of 2,500 producer groups (PGs) under the Tripura Rural Livelihood Management (TRLM) initiative. As of now, 2,000 PGs have been successfully formed.

In terms of digital transformation, TRESP is developing a single-window IT platform (both app and web-based) to streamline citizen access to 144 state-run services and schemes. A consultancy firm has been onboarded to evaluate and recommend government process re-engineering (GPR) and appropriate digital solutions. Moreover, the Tripura Space Application Centre (TSAC) will collaborate with a technology partner to build a centralised dashboard system for data collection, monitoring, and visualisation across departments.

The World Bank is contributing around ₹1,120 crore towards the project, which was officially launched in March 2024. The TRESP represents a transformative leap for Tripura's rural and tribal regions, aiming to integrate infrastructure, education, livelihoods, and governance under one ambitious framework.

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