Tripura Shifts to Five-Day Work Week to Lower Fuel Consumption

Agartala: The Tripura government is moving to a five-day work week for all state offices as part of a strategy to combat rising fuel prices. Under the new schedule, government employees will work Monday through Friday from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm, with all Saturdays and Sundays now marked as holidays. Previously, only the second and fourth Saturdays of the month were designated as days off.

Cabinet spokesperson Sushanta Chowdhury stated that the change aims to decrease fuel use and enhance administrative efficiency. To further limit travel, the government plans to hold 75 percent of official meetings virtually. Officials are also pushing for reduced use of state vehicles while encouraging the procurement of electric cars and the construction of additional charging stations across the region.

Alongside these administrative changes, the cabinet approved the hiring of 81 new staff members to address existing vacancies. This includes 26 positions for lower division clerks in the Public Works Department and 50 group C roles in the Information and Cultural Affairs Department. The latter category covers a variety of creative and technical positions, such as reporters, translators, and folk artists. The finance department also received approval to add five inspectors for small savings.