Tripura CM Dr Manik Saha announces a 3% DA-DR hike to 44% and raises HRA to 10% for government employees, effective October 1, 2026, with additional annual spending of over Rs 440 crore.
Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Tuesday announced a 3 per cent increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) for state government employees and pensioners, taking the total DA-DR rate to 44 per cent. The revised benefit will come into effect from October 1, 2026, and is expected to provide financial relief to a large number of employees and pensioners across the state.
Making the announcement at a press conference at the State Secretariat, Dr Saha said the decision was taken as part of the government’s continued efforts to improve the financial benefits and welfare measures available to government employees. Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy was also present at the press conference.
According to the Chief Minister, the additional annual financial burden arising from the 3 per cent DA-DR increase will be around Rs 300 crore. With the latest revision, the difference between the DA-DR received by Tripura government employees and pensioners and their counterparts under the Central government will come down to 16 per cent.
“The gap between the DA-DR of state government employees and that of their counterparts under the Centre will come down to 16 per cent,” Dr Saha said.
Along with the DA-DR revision, the state government has also increased the House Rent Allowance (HRA) for regular employees from 8 per cent to 10 per cent of basic pay. The revised HRA rate will also be effective from October 1, 2026. The decision will involve an additional annual expenditure of Rs 141.96 crore.
The Chief Minister further announced that the maximum HRA limit has been increased substantially from Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000. The revision is expected to benefit eligible regular government employees by increasing the housing-related allowance linked to their basic pay.
Dr Saha said improving the benefits and welfare of government employees has remained a priority of the state government since it assumed office in 2018. He highlighted several measures taken during this period to improve the financial structure and service conditions of employees.
According to the Chief Minister, the fitment factor was increased from 2.25 to 2.57, resulting in an increase of around 14.22 per cent in basic pay. The DA-DR has also been revised at different stages, with the overall increase reaching 38 per cent since 2022.
Dr Saha said the government would continue to consider further measures for employees while keeping the financial capacity of the state in mind. He stressed that employee-related decisions would have to maintain a balance between the expectations of government employees and the state’s financial position.
On the proposed Eighth Pay Commission, the Chief Minister said the state government had decided to constitute a pay commission. Further steps would be taken in the matter after considering the interests of employees as well as the financial position of the state.
The Chief Minister also announced changes in the leave provisions applicable to government employees. Under the revised arrangement, employees who have accumulated more than 285 days but up to 300 days of earned leave will be permitted to preserve the next 15 days separately as advance leave. The measure is intended to prevent accumulated leave from being unnecessarily forfeited.
Dr Saha also highlighted the government’s Promotion Policy, 2021, which was introduced to address long-pending promotion-related issues and provide for ad hoc promotions under specified conditions. He said that, subject to the decision taken on December 1, 2025, employees who received ad hoc promotions under the policy would have their service and retirement benefits of regular promotion counted from the relevant date.
The Chief Minister further said the government had introduced 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs. He also referred to the streamlining of the die-in-harness system as another measure aimed at improving employee-related welfare provisions.
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Apart from financial and service benefits, Dr Saha said the government has placed emphasis on strengthening the skills and professional capacity of state civil service officers. Training has been undertaken through institutions such as the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, IIM Calcutta and BIPARD through SIPARD.
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The latest DA-DR and HRA decisions are expected to provide additional financial support to Tripura’s government employees and pensioners. With the revised benefits taking effect from October 1, the government has reiterated that further employee-oriented measures will be considered within the state’s financial capacity.
