German team visits Tripura for investment

Agartala, May 10 (UNI) German-based organisation KFW has expressed keen interest in investing in natural resource management sector in the state.

Official sources here today said a five-member KFW delegation called on Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Forest Minister Jitendra Choudhury and Chief Secretary Shasi Prakash yesterday and held detailed discussion on the investment possibilities in the state.

The Tripura government had submitted the project "Social Empowerment of Tribal and Rural Poor People through Natural Resource" of Rs 75 crore to KFW last year.

And 1900 hectare of land would be under rubber plantation, and the duration of the project would be for eight years.

The delegation came here to explore feasibility of investment in the project but nothing had yet been decided about the funding and modalities of the programme, said Chief Secretary Shasi Prakash adding the state government had planned to bring about 50,000 poor families under the project.

He said as part of Indo-German bilateral co-operation, the KFW was supposed to offer Rs 16.50 crore to Tripura for technical assistance and development of basic infrastructure as grant, while remaining Rs 58.50 crore for implementation of the project as loan.

UNI