Agartala, March 16, 2026: Amid financial constraints, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Monday announced a 5 percent Dearness Allowance (DA) hike for 1,84,182 state government employees and pensioners, bringing relief to thousands of families across the state.

The announcement was made on the floor of the Tripura Legislative Assembly after the presentation of the state budget for the financial year 2026–27. The Chief Minister informed the House that the decision was taken in a cabinet meeting held earlier in the day.

“Five percent allowance has been decided after the cabinet meeting today. There are 1,02,563 employees and 81,619 pensioners across the state. The decision will be implemented from April 1, 2026,” Dr. Saha told the Assembly.

He further stated that the state government would have to bear an additional financial burden of around ₹500 croreannually due to the increase. “An additional fund of Rs 500 crore will be spent for this increase of 5 percent DA,” he added.

However, the announcement triggered questions from the opposition benches. Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman and Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury raised concerns over why the DA hike was not mentioned in the Budget speech delivered by Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy earlier in the day.

Chaudhury also sought clarification from the government regarding the total number of contractual employees in the state, questioning whether they would receive similar financial benefits.

Responding to the queries, the treasury bench informed the House that Leader of the House and Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha would provide a detailed reply to the questions raised by opposition members.

The DA hike announcement is expected to benefit over 1.84 lakh employees and pensioners, even as the state government continues to manage fiscal pressures while addressing employee demands.