Free Foodgrains to Teacher Recruitment: Tripura Cabinet Announces Welfare and Jobs Package

Agartala, October 7: In a major welfare initiative ahead of the Durga Puja festivities, the Tripura government has decided to provide free sugar, flour and semolina to nearly 9.92 lakh ration beneficiaries in the state.

The decision was taken at the state Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday. The initiative is aimed at providing financial relief to common and middle-class families during the festive season and making the celebrations more accessible.

Under the scheme, every ration card-holding family will receive 1 kg of sugar, 2 kg of flour and 500 grams of semolina free of cost. Distribution is planned to begin around the middle of October, between Durga Puja and Lakshmi Puja.

Food, Transport and Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury announced the decision at a press conference at the Secretariat on Wednesday while briefing the media on key decisions taken at the previous day’s Cabinet meeting.

He said the special allocation was intended to support people during the festive season and make the celebrations more comfortable for families.

A total of 243 metric tonnes of semolina, 1,984 metric tonnes of flour and 992 metric tonnes of sugar will be distributed under the programme. The state government is expected to spend approximately ₹9.35 crore to ₹9.85 crore on the free distribution of these food items.

The initiative is being viewed not merely as a food distribution programme but also as an effort to provide some financial relief to families facing increased market expenses during the festive season. Sugar, flour and semolina are widely used in preparing sweets and other food items during Puja, making the scheme particularly relevant for households during this period.

The Cabinet has also taken several important decisions relating to education and employment. A total of 1,061 teachers will be recruited to strengthen the state’s education system and create new employment opportunities for educated youth.

Of these, 700 Graduate Teachers will be appointed under the Secondary Education Department for Classes IX and X. Another 361 teachers will be recruited under the Elementary Education Department, including 75 Graduate Teachers and 286 Under-Graduate Teachers.

The recruitment is expected to help reduce the shortage of teachers in schools while also creating new government employment opportunities for educated young people.

The government has also decided to recruit 213 personnel in different categories for the Agartala Municipal Corporation under the Urban Development Department. The posts include various technical, administrative and service-related positions.

The Cabinet has further decided to establish the Tripura Staff Selection Commission to make recruitment to various state government departments faster, more transparent and better organised.

The proposed commission will conduct examinations and oversee the selection of candidates for Group-B, Group-C and Group-D posts under the state government.

The government expects that recruitment through a separate and structured commission will reduce delays and improve transparency and discipline in the recruitment system. The decision could also help address the long-standing expectations of job aspirants awaiting government recruitment.

Several decisions were also taken in the field of social welfare. The sitting allowance for the chairman and members of the Welfare Sub-Committee under the Scheduled Caste Welfare Department has been increased from ₹100 to ₹200 per meeting.

In the area of minority welfare, the daily boarding house stipend for students staying in residential boarding houses has been increased from ₹65 to ₹100. The move is expected to provide additional support to students in meeting their daily requirements while pursuing their studies in residential boarding facilities.

The Cabinet has also decided to fill eight long-pending vacancies for Lower Division Clerks under the Department of Science, Technology and Environment.

Taken together, the Cabinet’s decisions place emphasis on welfare, food security, education, employment, urban services, social protection and administrative reform.

The decision to provide free sugar, flour and semolina to nearly 9.92 lakh ration beneficiaries ahead of the festive season is being viewed by political and administrative circles as an expression of the government’s focus on public welfare.

At the same time, the recruitment of teachers and personnel for the Agartala Municipal Corporation is expected to open new avenues of employment.

With the festive season approaching, the Cabinet’s latest decisions have thus combined immediate financial relief for households with measures aimed at strengthening education, employment and public services.