In a significant decision, Tripura government considering present rising global energy prices triggered by the ongoing West Asia conflict global and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to citizens to conserve fuel, revive work-from-home practices, reduce unnecessary expenditure, and limit foreign travel in view of the global energy crisis, the Tripura government has decided to keep all government offices closed on Saturdays and Sundays from now onwards.
While, in order to compensate for the lost working hours, office timings on the remaining weekdays have been extended.
Addressing a press conference at Civil Secretariat in Agartala on Monday afternoon after the cabinet meeting, Transport and Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury highlighted several decisions taken at the cabinet meeting.
He said that government offices will now function from 9:30 AM instead of 10 AM, and will continue till 6 PM instead of 5:30 PM on five working days. The roster system introduced earlier for Group C and Group D employees has been withdrawn, meaning all government employees will have to attend office regularly from now on, said Chowdhury.
The Minister further said that the cabinet has approved recruitment for a total of 81 vacant posts in three departments. Among them, 50 posts will be filled in the Information and Cultural Affairs (ICA) Department. These include 13 Reporter posts, 24 Lower Division Clerk ( LDC) posts, 7 Cultural Assistant posts, 2 Folk Artist posts, and one post each for Script Writer, Translator, Assistant Photographer, and Assistant Librarian.
In addition, 26 LDC posts will be filled in the Public Works Department and among 26 posts, 23 will be recruited through JRBT, while the remaining 30 posts will be filled by ex-serviceman. The Minister also informed that five posts of Inspector of Small Savings under the Finance Department will be recruited through Tripura Public Service Commission(TPSC).
The Tourism Minister further stated that, considering the current financial situation of the state, several cost-cutting measures have been adopted following the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These include reducing government meetings and tours, increasing the use of electric and CNG vehicles, minimizing the use of official vehicles at the administrative level, and discouraging large-scale political gatherings. Necessary instructions regarding these measures have already been issued to various government departments.