Agartala, September 23: The Tripura government has raised the annual Durga Puja festival grant for government employees, pensioners and various categories of workers by Rs 300, Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy announced on Wednesday.
The revised benefit will cover Group C and Group D employees, daily-rated workers (DRWs), part-time workers (PTWs), contractual employees, pensioners, Anganwadi workers and helpers, home guards, temple purohits, pump operators and other eligible workers.
Under the revised rates, Group C and Group D employees will receive Rs 2,400 each, compared with Rs 2,100 last year. The grant for DRWs has also been fixed at Rs 2,400.
PTWs and contractual employees will receive Rs 2,610, against Rs 2,310 previously, while pensioners will get Rs 2,400, up from Rs 2,100.
The grant for Anganwadi workers, helpers and home guards has been increased to Rs 2,610. Temple purohits will receive Rs 2,400, compared with Rs 2,100 earlier.
For pump operators, the grant has been raised from Rs 1,050 to Rs 1,350. Part-time workers under the Rural Development and Panchayat departments will also get Rs 1,350, against Rs 1,050 previously.
Addressing a press conference at the Civil Secretariat, Singha Roy said the revised grant would benefit 1,48,501 employees and 85,916 pensioners. The government is expected to spend around Rs 47.16 crore on the festival grant this year, including an additional expenditure of approximately Rs 6 crore due to the Rs 300 increase.
The minister said the festival grant, which stood at Rs 700 in 2017-18, had been enhanced periodically over the years.
Employees belonging to Christian and other religious communities can avail themselves of the grant for their respective festivals, Singha Roy said, adding that the benefit can be drawn only once in a year.
The government has separately earmarked Rs 183.87 crore for festival advances. Under the existing provisions, 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 can avail themselves of an advance of Rs 5,000, while ASHA workers will receive Rs 2,000.
Singha Roy said the Finance Department had already issued a memorandum on the festival advance on September 21.
Finance Department Secretary P K Goyal and Additional Secretary Akinchan Sarkar were present at the press conference.
The minister said the measures had been approved in view of the upcoming Durga Puja celebrations, scheduled to be held on October 15.
