Decline in insurgency has given pace to development work in rural areas of Tripura. People now have access to better facilities.
Bhagban Chowdhury Para in West Tripura district was earlier affected by militancy and was least developed with no 'pucca' roads, drinking water, education or electricity.
With the decline in insurgency, the things are no longer the same.
The road infrastructure in the Bhagban Chowdhury Para, situated close to Bangladesh border, has improved with the implementation of various government-run schemes like MGNREGA and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
" Earlier, there was no sign of development in this remote village. We got electricity a decade ago and the roads were constructed four years ago and the work is still ongoing," said Mangal Debbarma, a villager.
Many of the tribal people who were earlier into Jhum cultivation have become settled farmers under the Tribal Jhumia Rehabilitation Scheme and Integrated Tribal Development Project.
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" I have some 270 rubber trees and every month I extract latex to produce 150 kg rubber. I sell it in the market and earn enough to run my family," said Bajendra Debbarma, a rubber cultivator
Many of the villagers have taken up piggery and poultry farming to earn additional income.
" I sell cloths, do tailoring and also run a grocery shop. I also have a piggery, backyard poultry and do MGNREGA work when I get them," added Rablaxmi Debbarma, a tailor.
The classrooms in the village school, that once used to be empty, have full attendance now.
Under the Centre's 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan' scheme, the school infrastructure has been upgraded and students get free mid-day meal, books and stationery.
" Now we get more funds as the amount given under the Rastriya Madhyamik Shiksa Abhijan (RMSA) is more than that of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). The schools are running better," said S C Debbarma, school headmaster.
The transformation in the village has been possible with the decline in militancy. Other villages in the north-east can also reap the dividend by rejecting violence.