Tripura Cabinet Defers Ad-Hoc Post Pension Clause; Issue Unresolved for Nearly Two Years, Hundreds of Employees Deprived

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, July 15, 2025

The Tripura Cabinet, in its meeting held on 12th December 2023 at 5:00 PM in the Cabinet Room of the State Secretariat, deferred a key proposal regarding pension benefits for employees promoted under the ad-hoc promotion policy of 2021. Despite the passage of nearly two years, the matter has not been reconsidered, nor has it been resubmitted before the Council of Ministers, leaving a large number of government employees deprived of their rightful pension entitlements.

The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha, was attended by all cabinet ministers, including Shri Ratan Lal Nath, Shri Pranajit Singha Roy, Smt. Santana Chakma, Shri Tinku Roy, Shri Bikash Debbarma, Shri Sudhangshu Das, Shri Sukla Charan Noatia, and Chief Secretary Shri J.K. Sinha, along with senior bureaucrats of the state government, had decided to defer a decision.

The deferred agenda item (No. 7) proposed the inclusion of the phrase 'in any post including any ad-hoc post as per ad-hoc promotion policy, 2021 of Government of Tripura' in the existing pension rules. The objective was to ensure that government employees who were promoted under ad-hoc conditions and retired on or after 1st April 2017 would be eligible for the revised pension as per the provisions of the Tripura State Civil Services (Revised Pension) Rules, 2017.

The proposed rule amendment clarified that for such employees pension would be calculated at 50% of the last basic pay drawn (excluding DA), in accordance with sub-rule (iii) of Rule 3 of the Revised Pension Rules. The matter was originally tabled by the Finance Department under File No.F.8(3)FIN(G)/2017(P-II) dated 24.11.2023.

However, the Cabinet deferred the proposal for further consideration, and since then, no further action has been taken. Sources within the State Secretariat confirm that the matter has not been reintroduced for Cabinet discussion. As a result, many state government employees who were granted ad-hoc promotions continue to face uncertainty and denial of legitimate pension benefits, despite their long service and official responsibilities held under promotion orders.

The delay has sparked dissatisfaction among employees, particularly those nearing retirement or already retired since 2017. They argue that their financial planning and post-retirement security have been adversely affected by the lack of clarity and delay in decision-making.

Insiders suggest that while the cabinet had originally agreed to revisit the issue in a future sitting, the responsible authorities have not taken the necessary steps to place the matter back on the agenda.

The issue remains pending, and expectations are now rising that the Tripura Cabinet will take up the matter soon to resolve the long-standing grievance of the affected employees.

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