Agartala : Pradyot Manikya Deb Barma, chairman of TIPRA Motha has announced his stance on enforcing legal trading and labor licensing within the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC). In a series of posts on social media platform X, Barma emphasized the need to safeguard local opportunities and ensure compliance with legal requirements.

Barma stated, “Anyone/contractor or institution who are trading/working in the TTAADC area and not taking the legal trading license will not be allowed to work. Our local people have been denied various opportunities. I am going to take legal opinion in this matter.”

He also addressed the issue of laborers coming from outside the TTAADC areas, stressing the importance of legal labor licenses. “The same for labour who are coming from outside ADC areas should apply for labour license legally,” he added.

Barma underscored the need for higher registration fees for labor brought in from outside the ADC or from the state to prioritize local workers. “When any labor is brought from outside the ADC or from the state they must pay more for registration. We have to ensure that local person gets more preference. We have enough people who are capable of doing work. Huge companies are hiring people from outside even for small jobs,” he pointed out.

In his commitment to fostering local trade and commerce, Barma proposed minimal or no charges for Scheduled Tribes (ST) to encourage their participation in economic activities. “For ST there should be minimal or no charge to encourage trade and commerce. For others, there should be a fee. We have to follow the Atmanibhar policy in the ADC,” Barma concluded.

The enforcement of these measures is aimed at ensuring that local residents receive due preference and opportunities in employment and trade, in line with the Atmanibhar Bharat (self-reliant India) policy. By emphasizing legal compliance and prioritizing local talent, Barma’s directives seek to address the long-standing grievances of the local population and bolster the economic self-sufficiency of the TTAADC region.