Agartala, June 24: Tripura Higher Education Minister Kishor Barman on Wednesday held a crucial meeting with West Bengal Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay in Kolkata to discuss the restoration of reserved seats for students from Tripura in government engineering and textile institutions in West Bengal.

The meeting, held at Bikash Bhavan, focused on expanding educational opportunities for students from the northeastern state by reviving a system that previously enabled them to pursue professional and technical education in reputed institutions across West Bengal.

According to a statement shared by Kishor Barman on social media, the discussions centered on restoring reserved seats for Tripura students in government engineering colleges as well as in the Government College of Engineering and Textile Technology at Serampore and Berhampore. The minister highlighted the importance of these seats in providing aspiring students from Tripura access to quality technical education and specialized academic programmes.

Barman said that during the meeting, he emphasized the educational needs of students from Tripura and the benefits of strengthening inter-state cooperation in higher education. He noted that many students from the state have historically benefited from educational opportunities in West Bengal and expressed hope that such avenues would once again become available.

The Tripura minister stated that West Bengal Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay responded positively to the proposal and assured him that necessary steps would be taken to facilitate the restoration of the reserved seats.

“The restoration of these seats will create additional opportunities for students from Tripura to pursue professional and technical courses in reputed institutions and contribute to their academic and career development,” Barman said.

In a separate engagement during his visit, the Tripura Higher Education Minister also met West Bengal School Education Minister Deepak Barman. The two leaders discussed a range of issues related to the education sector, including the role of quality education in nation-building and human resource development.

Officials believe that the discussions could pave the way for stronger educational collaboration between the two states. The proposed restoration of reserved seats is expected to benefit students seeking access to technical and engineering education while strengthening academic ties between Tripura and West Bengal.

The initiative has been welcomed as a significant step toward expanding higher education opportunities for the youth of Tripura.