TRIPURA CM BIPLAB DEB MEETS PM MODI

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, who heads an 11 day old BJP government in the state, on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a special package to overcome a "severe financial burden" the new government is saddled with. The Chief Minister met the Prime Minister and several other central ministers at their Parliament house offices and sought special financial package from the Centre to surmount the severe financial crisis of the state. Deb accompanied by Chief Secretary Sanjeev Ranjan and Principal Secretary L.K. Gupta had on Sunday night left here for the national capital to meet the central leaders. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in Tripura on Sunday also published a white paper here specifying that the previous Left Front government left behind Rs 11,356 crore liabilities and fiscal deficits. The Chief Minister during his four-day visit to New Delhi would also meet Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Minister of State for PMO and Development of North Eastern Region Jitendra Singh and other central leaders, including BJP President Amit Shah.

The special package is also required to implement one of the party's most populist pre-poll promises to raise the salaries and allowances of the state government employees at par with the proposals of the Seventh Central Pay Commission.

At Parliament House, the Chief Minister was offered a rousing welcome by several Union Ministers for the BJP's stunning victory in the state by defeating the Communist Party of India-Marxist led Left Front in the February 18 polls. Deb also called on President Ram Nath Kovind.