Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New & Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi during his two days visit to Tripura on Sunday morning paid a divine Darshan of Maa Tripura Sundari, and thereafter he listened to PM Modi Ji's Mann ki Baat program at Chandrapur Colony higher secondary school at Chandrapur under Matabari in Gomati district.

Later in the day, the Minister visited Charilam village to oversee a centrally sponsored renewable energy project taken up by the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency (TREDA) for the farmers and also reviewed the implementation of MNRE schemes.

During the review of MNRE activities in the area, the Minister said 27 SPV Pumps covering 54 acres of land under PM- KUSUM Scheme (Component B) and 35 LED based SPV Street Lighting Systems under MNRE Scheme have been installed. He added that these initiatives have led to the successful implementation of double cropping, resulting in double income for the farmers.

Union Minister Joshi said that the Government of India has recently approved a Private Enterprise Guarantee (PEG) scheme for enhancing storage space in North Eastern States. With this initiative, FCI aims to double its storage capacity in Tripura by constructing additional capacity of 70,000 MT in a two years' time period.

He said on Sunday India is providing free food grains to 81 crore people under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, which is twice the population of the European Union. Under the scheme rice, wheat and coarse grains are being provided at free of cost to state identified beneficiaries as per local need. Modi government has extended this free ration scheme till December 31, 2028.

In the last 5-years under Decentralized Procurement mode, around 1.2 lakh MT Rice of MSP value Rs 360 cr has been procured in Tripura state benefitting around 94,000 farmers.

Recently, Central government has also extended the universal supply of fortified rice enriched with essential micronutrients such as iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12 under all government welfare schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, Integrated Child Development Services and PM POSHAN from July 2024 until December 2028. In 2023-24, around 1.75 lakh MT Fortified rice was lifted/distributed under various welfare schemes in Tripura.

One Nation, One Ration Card plan has been implemented by all 36 States/UTs, across the country to benefit the migrant labourers, Joshi said, adding that the beneficiaries are empowered to lift their entitled food grain from any Fair Price Shop of their choice, anywhere in the country.

He said in Tripura, total Portability Transactions under ONORC are 18.74 lakh and 100% ration cards have been seeded with Aadhar and all FPSs are ePOS enabled, averting leakage.

To protect the interest of the consumers in the country, the Strengthening of Consumer Commissions scheme is being implemented by the Department of Consumer Affairs. The Central Government has been providing financial assistance to the State Governments under the scheme to supplement the efforts of the State Governments In this, total funds released since inception to Tripura state is Rs. 3.65 cr.

To control price volatility, the Minister has underlined that the government maintains an onion buffer under the Price Stabilization Fund. To make the disposal cost effective and efficient, for the first time, transportation of onions from Nashik to major destinations including Guwahati in the North-Eastern region have been carried out by rail.

He said the Union Ministry also provide grants in aid to States,  UTs for awareness generation amongst consumers about rights, under which, Rs. 40 lakh was released to Tripura in 2023-24.

Referring to the achievements in Renewable energy sector, the Minister said India has reached a significant milestone, with the country's total renewable energy capacity reaching 214 GW. India is on-track to achieve 500 GW capacity by 2030 with initiatives like National Green Hydrogen Mission, PM-KUSUM PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, and PLI schemes for solar PV modules.

Minister Joshi also urged to undertake initiatives to spread public awareness about PM Surya Ghar Yojana. He said the electricity tariff for domestic consumers in Tripura is around Rs. 5 per unit for usage above 200 units. With the MNRE subsidy and a concessional loan at 7%, consumers can start saving money immediately.

The cost of power purchase for Tripura DISCOM exceeds Rs. 5 per unit, as most of the power comes from gas-based plants. Installing solar power will reduce reliance on this high-cost energy and also help meet the RPO.

Joshi has lauded initiatives of the state government in the sector, saying that Tripura has made good progress in the renewable energy sector. Before 2018, a total of 2.5 MW of electricity was generated through solar energy. In the last 6.5 years, the BJP-led govt in Tripura has increased the generation 10 times to more than 20.5 MW now.

Minister Joshi expressed confidence towards ever-enhancing collaboration with the state government, and said “Through our joint efforts, we will ensure better opportunities for the people of Tripura”.