Agartala, June 01, 2026: Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Power Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday announced that more than 9,300 loans have been sanctioned under the PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme in Tripura, with beneficiaries receiving nearly Rs 15 crore so far.
The Minister made the announcement while interacting with PM SVANidhi beneficiaries from Tripura and other Northeastern states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Mizoram. He was accompanied by Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha during the programme, where credit cards and loan sanction letters were handed over to street vendors from the state.
Khattar said the PM SVANidhi scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2020 to provide financial support to street vendors and help improve their livelihoods through access to affordable institutional credit.
Highlighting the scheme’s achievements in the Northeast, he stated that over 2.59 lakh loans have been distributed across the region, enabling financial assistance of more than Rs 430 crore to street vendors.
Later in the day, the Union Minister reviewed the progress of various urban development and power sector projects in Tripura along with Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha and Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath.
He informed that the Centre would spend more than Rs 427 crore on urban development projects in the state. Among the major initiatives discussed was the solid waste management project at DC Nagar on the outskirts of Agartala, for which the Central Government has provided Rs 100 crore. The project is nearing completion, he said.
The review meeting also focused on sanitation and waste management, including door-to-door garbage collection, construction of household and community toilets, aspirational toilets and market toilets. A survey to identify pending requirements will be completed by June 20, after which additional funds will be released.
Khattar further said that 11 new Sewage Treatment Plants are under construction in municipal areas outside Agartala and are expected to become operational by December this year. To strengthen cleanliness initiatives, Agartala, Dharmanagar, Melaghar and Udaipur will receive an additional Rs 27 crore.
The Minister also disclosed that Tripura has proposed urban infrastructure projects worth Rs 1,200 crore under the Urban Challenge Projects Fund. The projects are expected to receive approval within the next one to two months.
Reviewing the power sector, Khattar said around two lakh rooftop solar installations are targeted under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana by March 2027. He directed officials to take strict action against illegal power connections and reduce system losses.
Stating that Tripura’s peak electricity demand touched 270 MW on May 21, the Minister expressed confidence that the state would be capable of generating 300 MW of power by next year to meet future requirements.
