THE Left Front government of Tripura has taken some decisions aimed at giving the best possible financial facility to its employees as well as the under-privileged sections of the population. These decisions were announced on January 16 yesterday by information minister Jitendra Chowdhurry following the cabinet meeting held in the Civil Secretariat.

From April 1 next, the state government employees will get 10 per cent additional dearness allowance. All sorts of fixed-pay, part time, casual and contract-basis employees and workers will be benefited by this hike which will cost the state exchequer Rs 72.5 crore annually.

In another decision, the Tripura Physically Handicapped (Stipend and Scholarship) Act will be amended, bringing into its purview the weak-vision, leprosy-affected, deaf and mentally disabled students. Earlier, only the blind and other similarly handicapped students were entitled to such stipends and scholarships. The marks bar has also been sought to be abolished.

In yet another decision, the national award winners among the non-government school teachers will be given extension in service for a maximum of two years. Earlier, national award winning teachers of only government schools were entitled to this facility.

The Left Front government has also decided to urge the centre to do away with an injustice meted out to people who are living below the poverty line in Tripura. For this purpose, the cabinet has reviewed and approved a revised survey report about the number of such people. According to this revised survey, 66.81 per cent of the state population lived below the poverty line in 1997-98, taking cut-off annual income to be Rs 16,851.00. Incidentally, the centre had not been giving any facility, due to the people who are living below the poverty line (BPL), to a huge number of people as the earlier report had identified 73.5 per cent as BPL, the base year being 1993 and cut-off income Rs 11,000 per annum. (INN)