The Tripura government on Monday announced a 5 percent hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) for state government employees and pensioners — a move that will benefit over 1.83 lakh people and cost the state exchequer an additional Rs 500 crore per year.
Chief Minister Manik Saha made the announcement during the ongoing Budget session of the Tripura Legislative Assembly. The revised rates will come into effect from April 1, 2026.
Also Read: Tripura CM Manik Saha Eyes All 28 TTAADC Seats for BJP, Welcomes 587 Voters From 147 Families
Saha informed the House on the second day of the Budget session, shortly after Finance, Planning and Coordination Minister Pranajit Singha Roy presented the state's 2026-27 Budget.
The announcement was met with desk-thumping from members of the treasury bench.
"To implement the additional DA and DR, the state government will incur an extra expenditure of about Rs 500 crore annually," Saha told the Assembly.
According to a Finance Department official, the hike will directly benefit 1,02,563 government employees and 81,019 pensioners.
The announcement drew sharp criticism from opposition members, who argued that the DA and DR hike should have been part of the Finance Minister's budget proposals — not a separate announcement by the Chief Minister.
"The Chief Minister has violated established norms and convention," alleged former minister and Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman, amid heated exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches.
Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury of the CPI-M also pressed the Chief Minister on the status of pending DA and DR arrears owed to state employees and pensioners.
Saha attempted to respond to the queries, but disruptions in the House prevented him from completing his reply. Acting Speaker Ram Prasad Paul subsequently adjourned the session.
The BJP-led government in Tripura has progressively revised pay and allowances since coming to power in March 2018.
Pay scales were revised with effect from October 1, 2018, based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission. Since then, DA and DR have been increased on multiple occasions.
State government employees and pensioners have consistently demanded parity with their Central government counterparts on DA and DR rates — a demand that remains only partially addressed.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath confirmed that the ongoing Budget session of the Tripura Assembly will run until March 25. This is the first sitting of the Tripura Legislative Assembly in 2026.