Agartala, Sept 21: The state government announced the festival grant for its employees of various categories with a hike of Rs. 300.

Finance minister Pranajit Singha Roy announced this in a press conference on Thursday and said the hike in festival grant would cost additional Rs. 36 crore.

The hike in festival grant would benefit 1,97,176 employees of various categories while the festival advance would remain unchanged, he said.

The Group-C and Group-D employees including the employees recruited on fixed-pay basis by keeping in abeyance the regular pay scale posts, the DRWs who have been engaged with prior concurrence of Finance department and the pensioners/ family pensioners would get festival grant of Rs. 1800, he said.

As per the decision, the PTWs/ contractual workers/ casual workers who have been engaged with prior concurrence of Finance department, the Anganwadi workers/ helpers and the Home Guards/ SPOs would get Rs. 2000.

The festival advance for the employees except Anganwadi workers/ helpers, Home Guards and Asha workers is up to Rs. 20,000, the Finance minister said.

The Anganwadi workers/ helpers and Home Guards are entitled to get festival advance up to Rs. 5000 and the Asha workers would be given up to Rs. 2000 by NHM.

Meanwhile, apart from Durga Puja, the employees would be able to get festival advance in other festivals-- Christmas, Garia Puja, Buddha Purnima, Eid-al Fitr, Bengali New Year, Mahavir jayanti and Gurunanak birthday as per their religious festivals.