Tripura aims to become Northeast’s data storage hub: CM Manik Saha

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on January 29 said the state is poised to emerge as a major data storage hub in the Northeast, driven by expanding academic infrastructure and growing economic activity.

The chief minister said Tripura currently has three data centres, but their combined storage capacity of 1,800 terabytes often falls short of rising demand. Addressing the issue, Saha laid the foundation stone for Airtel’s ₹200-crore data centre with a five-megawatt storage capacity at Chandmari in West Tripura district, calling the initiative timely and crucial.

He said the new facility would help build an ecosystem conducive to the growth of IT and IT-enabled services in the state. “Tripura has several advantages to become a hub for the data storage industry, with substantial investment proposals and fast-paced business reforms,” Saha noted.

Highlighting the national perspective, the chief minister said Mumbai currently accounts for nearly 50 per cent of the country’s data storage capacity. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target of increasing India’s data storage capacity from 1.5 gigabytes to 8 gigabytes by 2030 under the ‘Viksit Bharat’ mission. While India generates about 20 per cent of global data, its storage infrastructure accounts for only 3 per cent of global capacity, he said, underscoring the need for rapid expansion.

Saha said the upcoming data centre would also benefit Tripura’s IT professionals working in cities such as Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad, as well as abroad, by creating local employment opportunities.

Stating that Tripura is the country’s third fully literate state after Goa and Mizoram, the chief minister said the state produces a large pool of educated youth every year. He noted that Tripura currently has seven universities, six medical and engineering colleges, and premier institutions including NIT, the National Forensic Science University and IIIT.