Agartala

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday said the state is well-positioned to become a key centre for data storage in the northeast, citing increasing academic and economic activity in the region.

Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony for Airtel’s new data centre in Chandmari, West Tripura, Saha highlighted that the facility, costing Rs 200 crore and offering 5 megawatt storage capacity, will help meet the state’s rising demand for data infrastructure. The CM called the project a “timely intervention” to develop an ecosystem for IT and IT-enabled services in Tripura.

“Tripura has multiple advantages to attract investment in the data storage sector, supported by rapid business reforms and interest from investors,” Saha said. The state currently has three data centres with a combined capacity of 1,800 terabytes, which is insufficient to meet growing requirements. By comparison, Mumbai accounts for nearly half of India’s total data storage capacity.

The CM cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal under the ‘Viksit Bharat’ mission to raise India’s data storage capacity from 1.5 gigabytes to 8 gigabytes by 2030, stressing its importance in preparing the country for 2047. “India produces 20 per cent of global data, but only 3 per cent of storage capacity. Expanding facilities is vital for building national digital infrastructure,” he said.

Saha also noted that the new centre could provide employment opportunities for local IT professionals who currently work in major cities such as Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and abroad.

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Highlighting Tripura’s human capital, he added that the state is the third fully-literate state in India after Goa and Mizoram. Tripura produces a large number of skilled graduates each year through seven universities, six medical and engineering colleges, and institutions including the National Institute of Technology (NIT), National Forensic Science University, and the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT).