Photo Courtesy: tripuratimes
Agartala: Tripura is pumping more cash into the pockets of its workforce. Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy announced a hike in festival grants and interest-free advances this Wednesday at the Civil Secretariat. The state allocated Rs 47.16 crore for grants and Rs 183.77 crore for advances for the 2026-27 financial year. It is a massive infusion.
Roughly 2,34,417 people stand to gain. This includes 1,48,531 employees and workers, plus 85,916 pensioners and family pensioners. Everyone gets an extra Rs 300. The grant covers nine religious festivals, including Durga Puja, Christmas, Garia Puja, Buddha Purnima, Eid-ul-Zuha, Bengali New Year, Eid-ul-Fitr, Guru Nanak's Birthday, and Mahavir Jayanti. Beneficiaries need not apply online to collect.
Group C and Group D staff, fixed-pay workers, daily-wage laborers, pensioners, and temple priests now receive Rs 2,400. That is up from Rs 2,100. Part-time, contractual, and casual staff, including Anganwadi workers, helpers, Home Guards, and SPOs, move from Rs 2,310 to Rs 2,610. Pump operators under PWD and RD departments see their grants jump from Rs 1,050 to Rs 1,350.
The state also overhauled the interest-free festival advance system. Roughly one lakh people qualify. Regular Group A, B, C, and D employees and fixed-pay workers can now pull a Rs 20,000 advance. This replaces previous caps of Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000. Anganwadi workers and Home Guards get a new Rs 5,000 advance. ASHA workers get Rs 2,000.
Finance Secretary P.K. Goel and Additional Secretary Dr. Achintan Sarkar attended the announcement. "The government has earmarked an additional Rs 6.14 crore for the enhanced grant," said officials. The state claims these measures ensure workers are ready for Durga Puja, which falls on October 15.
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