STATE: The Tripura Government has decided to hike the Festival grant of Rs 300 for the State employees, Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy announced in a press conference on Thursday.

The Finance Minister said that in the financial year 2022-23, the festival grant of DRW employees and pensioners approved by the finance department, including Group-C and Group-D employees was Rs. 1,500. The festival grant has been increased by Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,800.

Besides, the Finance Department sanctioned part-time workers, contract workers, casual workers, Anganwadi workers, helpers, home guards, and SPO jawans who received a festival grant of Rs.1,700 in the financial year 2022-23. As a result of the increase of Rs 300, this year, they will get a festival grant of Rs 2,000.

In a press conference, the finance minister said that the amount of festival advance for government employees of various categories, including group A, group B, group C, and group D of the state government has remained unchanged this year at Rs 20,000.

A total of 1 lakh 97 thousand 176 employees, including DRW, Anganwadi workers/helpers, and contract workers will benefit from the payment of festival grant and festival advance.

The Finance Minister said that this festival grant and festival advance will help all the religious people to celebrate their respective festivals such as Durga Puja, Christmas, Garia Puja, Buddha Purnima, Eid-Uz-Joha, Eid-ul-Fitr, Bengali New Year, Mahavir Jayanti, Guru Nanak’s Birthday and others.

Finance Minister Pranjit Singh Roy also said that the amount of festival grant in the financial year 2017-18 was Rs 700, which was increased to Rs 1,000 in the financial year 2018-19 and increased to Rs 1,500 and Rs 1,700 in the 2022-23 financial year. In the current financial year, the amount of festival grants has been increased by Rs 300.

He said that in the case of festival advance, where it was from Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 in the financial year 2017-18, it has been increased to Rs 20 thousand in the financial year 2022-23.

Earlier, Anganwadi helpers and workers did not get any festival advance. From the 2021-22 financial year, they have also received a festival advance of Rs 5000, FM added.

Additionally, he said that home guards and Asha workers have been getting festival advances of Rs 5,000 and Rs 2,000 respectively, since 2022-23.