TRIPURA: The Tripura state government has unveiled a pioneering initiative to implement Unified Payment Interface(UPI) based payment system at the Gram Panchayat Village Committee level. This pivotal measure results to facilitate collection of both taxes and non-taxes and thereby facilitating governance at the grassroots level in the state.
It is under the leadership of Rural Development Secretary Mr. Sandeep R Rathod where Tripura is considered as one of the pioneers in integrating modern payment mechanisms into the rural governance. Throwing light on the state's commitment to inclusive governance, Mr. Rathore states, "Tripura's adoption of New Age Payment Modalities for collection at the village level marks a major leap towards accessible governance."
This government initiative has attracted attention beyond the borders of Tripura. While the selected delegations are hailing from the states of Maharashtra and Assam, they are visiting the state to learn the model of rural governance. This further highlights the growing interest in replicating Tripura’s success elsewhere, and marks a potential paradigm shift in rural governance across India.
For the years 2023-24, the Tripura Rural Life Mission played a key role in setting up 5,843 women's self-help groups, assisting 81,331 rural households. These combined efforts have involved 4,68,256 poor rural households in 51,555 women-led SHGs, empowering them economically. The financial assistance provided has been adequate and the Rural Livelihood Commission of Tripura has recently allocated a sum of Rs. 26.11 crore as revolving fund, Rs. 18.27 crore as community investment fund for self-help groups. In addition, Rs. 9.03 crore has been provided as weakness mitigation funds for village organisations.
The mission also aims to grant bank loans totaling Rs. 403.93 crore in FY 2023-24. It aims at strengthening social activities among members of the self-help group, with a cumulative allocation of Rs. As of latest data and information, it is tabulated as 1127.41 million. In order to further support the self-help groups, 600 bespoke listening centers have been established. As per records a total of nearly 121 centers are opened solely in the current financial year. The state of Tripura’s lays the continuous efforts towards inclusive and sustainable rural development set a commendable example for other states, pointing to a transformation of modern rural governance and economic vitality.