Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Tuesday announced an additional 5 per cent dearness allowance for state government employees and pensioners.

It will benefit 1,06,932 employees and 82,000 pensioners of the state government, he told the assembly.

The hike will be in effect from January 1, he said.

With this hike, state government employees and pensioners will receive 25 per cent DA, Saha said.

"Around Rs 500 crore will be needed to meet the extra expenditure for releasing 5 per cent DA to the employees and pensioners annually," he said.

"We could have declared DA of 2-3 per cent but the government decided to provide 5 per cent DA even knowing that it would be a burden on the exchequer," he added.

Saha also hailed the state budget for 2024-25, which was tabled on Friday.

"The budget is aimed at touching all sections of people. The welfare of the people has been ensured in the budget," he said.

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