As a gift on the eve of Diwali, the Tripura government on Wednesday announced  5 percent dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) for its 1,88,000 employees and pension holders.

Addressing a press conference after the state cabinet meeting at Civil Secretariat on Wednesday evening,  Food and Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury said that  the government's commitment to supporting its employees even during the ongoing challenging times has been continued.

He said that the state cabinet led by Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha has decided to increase the DA and the DR at 5% , which  would be effective from November 1, 2024.

The Tripura government announced the DA and DR just on the eve of the Diwali festival increment to alleviate the financial burden on employees and pensioners after Assam and Meghalaya governments.

“In the face of adversity, our government has consistently prioritized the well-being of our workforce. This decision will result in an additional expenditure of Rs 500 crore from the government,” Chowdhury.

Over 1.6 lakh government employees and 82,000 pensioners would be benefited by the decision, said Chowdhury and added that the BJP led government after coming into power in March 2018 has revised the pay scales, with effect from October 1, 2018, based on the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) recommendations.

Thereafter, the state government released additional DA and DR several times to its employees and pensioners.

State government employees and pensioners had long been demanding from the state government that their DA and DR be equal to that of Central government employees and pensioners.

He also said that the state government has taken several initiatives for development of TSR battalions and the cabinet has also decided to hike ration money of TR jawans from existing Rs. 1000 to Rs. 2000. The dress allowances for all ranks of TSR have also been increased from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 12,000.

The government has also decided to construct gymnasium in every TSR battalion and will provide Rs. 5 lakh to each battalion, said Chowdhury and added that the honorarium for doctors wanting to serve in TSR battalions would be now Rs.60, 000 per month. Altogether 240 TSR jawans would be promoted on ad-hoc basis and for development of TSR posts and barracks, the government has also sanctioned Rs. 5 crore, said the minister.

The Assam and Meghalaya governments also earlier this week announced DA and DR three per cent each (by the state governments) for their employees and pension holders.