AGARTALA, March 21: In a significant move, the Tripura government announced a 3 per cent hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) for its 1,88,000 government employees and pensioners on Friday.

Chief Minister Manik Saha made the announcement during the opening of the week-long Budget session of the Tripura Assembly, stating that this increase will raise the DA and DR from 30 per cent to 33 per cent.

The new rates will come into effect from April 1, 2025, with the Chief Minister’s announcement receiving strong support from the members of the House, as indicated by the thumping of desks. The announcement followed the presentation of the 2025-26 Budget by Finance, Planning and Coordination Minister Pranajit Singha Roy.

According to Chief Minister Saha, the state government will incur an additional expenditure of Rs 300 crore to cover the increased DA and DR payments. Over 1,06,000 government employees and 82,000 pensioners are expected to benefit from this decision.

The state government had previously revised pay scales for employees based on the 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations, beginning in October 2018. Since then, the government has periodically raised the DA and DR to benefit its employees and pensioners. The demand for equal DA and DR rates to match those of the Central government employees and pensioners had been a long-standing request from the employees’ unions.

In related news, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath confirmed that the Budget session would continue until April 1, with an emphasis on thorough discussions regarding the Budget and other critical issues. This session is poised to be the longest in 15 years, reflecting the government’s intent to ensure detailed debates and maximum participation from both treasury and opposition bench members.