COMMON FACILITY CENTRE UNDER PM-DEVINE SCHEME OPENED IN TRIPURA VILLAGE

A Common Facility Centre (CFC) for processing value-added products from banana pseudo stem was inaugurated on Thursday at Lefunga village in West Tripura district.
The centre has been set up under the PM-DevINE scheme with financial support from the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) at a cost of about Rs 5.5 crore.
The facility was inaugurated by Joint Secretary of DoNER Ministry, Angshuman Dey, with the objective of boosting the local economy and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for farmers and rural youth.
Addressing the inaugural programme, Dey said that the Common Facility Centre would open new avenues of income generation for farmers by promoting the productive use of banana pseudo stems, which are usually treated as agricultural waste.
He stated that the project reflects the Government of India’s commitment to strengthening the rural economy of the North Eastern Region through value addition, innovation and community participation, and urged local stakeholders to actively engage with the initiative.
Director General of NECTAR, Arun Kumar Sarma; Scientist-F of the AI Division, Department of Science and Technology, Usha Dixit; Debashish Sen, Principal of the College of Agriculture, Agartala, and other dignitaries also attended the programme.
Certificates and equipment were distributed among five master trainers during the programme.
A Memorandum of Understanding was also exchanged between the implementing agency CTRD and NECTAR.
The Common Facility Centre will produce fibre-based handicrafts, vermicompost, organic liquid fertiliser, and yarn for handlooms, marking a significant step towards integrated development in the state under the PM-DevINE initiative.