My first priority as CM is to serve the people: Manik Saha

Centre has placed the state in the Zone B category, enabling it to receive incentives, which will help locally produced goods compete in the market

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atas are coming up with a 100-key super luxury heritage hotel in the heart of Agartala, upgrading its erstwhile Raj Bhavan, which will have four heritage suites and relics of the Manikya Raj. This will generate hundreds of direct and indirect employment. Reliance Group has also evinced keen interest in investing in the picturesque northeastern state and is weighing various options.

The state, which has nine super speciality hospitals, two general medical colleges, government dental college, government ayurvedic college, nursing college, pharmacy college, is in the process of receiving a Rs 700 crore investment from Shija Hospitals and Research Centre of Manipur for a 700-bed large hospital.

The state, which has 2.1 lakh micro and mid-sized entrepreneurs, has been witnessing a significant growth (both qualitative and quantitative) in its MSME and start-up ecosystem. Self Help Groups are also flourishing, let alone the continuing growth and boom in the agriculture sector.

And all these taken together, the quaint, scenic state is now on a high growth trajectory. And navigating this upward journey from the frontis kurta-pyjama-clad, extremely soft-spoken, state's new Chief Minister, Prof Dr Manik Saha, an academician, medical practitioner-turned politician.

In a free-wheeling tete-a-tete with Ritwik Mukherjee of The Statesman at his Agartala residence, Dr Saha shares his cherished dreams and vision about the state, recent socio-political developments in neighbouring Bangladesh, among many other issues.

Excerpts:

When you took over as the state Chief Minister almost all on a sudden, many said you were airdropped. You did not get a chance or time to set your priorities. But now you must have set your priorities straight and have your job well cut out. So what are your priorities?