Tripura raises Durga Puja festival grant by Rs 300 for government employees, pensioners

The Tripura government has increased the annual Durga Puja festival grant by Rs 300 for various categories of government employees, pensioners and other workers, Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy said on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference at the Civil Secretariat, Singha Roy said Group C and Group D employees, daily-rated workers (DRWs), part-time workers (PTWs), contractual employees, pensioners, Anganwadi workers, helpers, temple purohits, pump operators and other workers would receive the revised grants.

Group C and Group D employees will receive Rs 2,400 each, up from Rs 2,100 last year. DRW workers will also receive Rs 2,400.

The festival grant for PTWs and contractual workers has been increased from Rs 2,310 to Rs 2,610, while pensioners will receive Rs 2,400, up from Rs 2,100.

Anganwadi workers, helpers and home guards will receive Rs 2,610, while the grant for temple purohits has been raised to Rs 2,400 from Rs 2,100.

The grant for pump operators has been increased from Rs 1,050 to Rs 1,350. Part-time workers under the Rural Development and Panchayat departments will also receive Rs 1,350, up from Rs 1,050.

According to the minister, 1,48,501 employees and 85,916 pensioners will benefit from the festival grant. The government will incur an expenditure of around Rs 47.16 crore on the grant this year, with the Rs 300 increase resulting in an additional expenditure of around Rs 6 crore.

Singha Roy said the festival grant had stood at Rs 700 in 2017-18 and had been increased periodically.

He said employees belonging to Christian and other religious communities could avail themselves of the benefit according to their respective festivals, but only once a year.

The government has also allocated Rs 183.87 crore for festival advances. Under the existing arrangement, Group A, Group B, Group C fixed-pay and regular employees, Group D regular employees and DRWs are eligible for an advance of Rs 20,000. Home guards and Anganwadi workers are eligible for Rs 5,000, while ASHA workers will receive Rs 2,000.

The minister said a memorandum regarding the festival advance had already been issued on September 21.

Finance Department Secretary P K Goyal and Additional Secretary Akinchan Sarkar were also present at the press conference.

Singha Roy said the arrangements had been made in view of Durga Puja, which is scheduled to be celebrated on October 15.