Agartala, December 30, 2023: In a bid to provide financial assistance to the needy and vulnerable sections of the society, the Tripura government has decided to include 29,410 more people under its social allowance scheme from the next month, Social Welfare and Social Education Minister Tinku Roy said on Friday.

Speaking to the media persons at the Civil Secretariat here in Agartala city, Minister Roy said that the state government will bear an additional burden of Rs 786 crore per annum to extend the monthly allowance of Rs 2,000 to the new beneficiaries. He said that the decision was taken as per the Chief Minister’s announcement to cover 30,000 more people under the scheme.

Roy said that the new beneficiaries comprise 1,653 widows, 5,388 deserted wives, 14,197 senior citizens, 420 unmarried women and 1,946 differently-abled persons, who belong to various categories such as below poverty line (BPL), Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Annapurna. He added that 5,806 people who were left out of the previous scheme due to various reasons will also receive the allowance from January.

Roy said that the social allowance scheme is one of the flagship programmes of the state government, which aims to empower the marginalized and disadvantaged groups and improve their quality of life. He said that the state government is committed to ensure that no eligible person is deprived of the benefits due to any error in their documents, which have been rectified by the department. He appealed to the people to cooperate with the government in implementing the scheme effectively.