The Tripura government has increased the festival grant for government employees, pensioners, family pension beneficiaries and various categories of irregular workers ahead of the upcoming Durga Puja festival.

Announcing the decision at a press conference at the Secretariat on Wednesday afternoon, Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy said the festival grant has been increased by Rs 300. As a result, 1,48,501 regular and contractual government employees and 85,916 pensioners and family pension beneficiaries will benefit. The increase will entail an additional expenditure of around Rs 6.14 crore for the state government.

The Finance Minister said the festival grant for Group C and Group D employees, pensioners and family pension beneficiaries, priests of various government-run temples, and DRW employees approved by the Finance Department has been increased from Rs 2,100 to Rs 2,400.

Similarly, the grant for PT workers, casual workers, contractual workers, Anganwadi workers and helpers, Home Guards, SPOs and daily-wage workers engaged in various departments has been increased from Rs 2,310 to Rs 2,610.

The festival grant for part-time pump operators under the Drinking Water, Sanitation and Rural Development (Panchayat) departments has also been increased from Rs 1,050 to Rs 1,350.

The Finance Minister said that the festival grant stood at only Rs 700 in 2017-18. He further clarified that despite the increase in the festival grant, the advance festival allowance (Festival Advance) for government employees remains unchanged. Employees seeking the advance festival allowance will have to apply online through the e-HRMS system.

According to the Finance Minister, the state government will require around Rs 183.77 crore for providing the advance festival allowance this year.

He said government employees belonging to different religions and communities can also apply for the advance festival allowance on the occasion of festivals including Durga Puja, Garia Puja, Buddha Purnima, Eid-ul-Zoha, Bengali New Year, Eid-ul-Fitr, Guru Nanak Jayanti and Mahavir Jayanti. An employee can apply for the advance allowance for any one festival.

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