Sangrama festival to be a restricted holiday in Tripura: CM

Agartala, Sep 11 (PTI) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said his government has decided to declare Sangrama puja as a restricted holiday in the state.

Sangrama puja, usually celebrated in August, is the main festival of the Reang community, the second largest tribe of the northeastern state after the Tripuri community.

The CM, while exchanging greetings with all the chiefs of janajati samaj on Wednesday night, said the government has decided to declare Sangrama puja as a restricted holiday. Currently, three festivals - Kharchi, Ker and Garya - all Tripuri community's festivals are holidays in the state.

"Ahead of Durga Puja, I had the opportunity to exchange greetings with respected pradhan samajpatis and listen to their valuable views on various aspects," Saha wrote on Facebook after the programme.

He said, "Our government has undertaken several initiatives for the socio-economic development of our Janajati brothers and sisters. Their insightful suggestions and profound knowledge further strengthen my resolve to work with greater confidence for the upliftment of the poorest of the poor." "This is for the first time, in an extended form, that all Samajpatis (community heads) have come here. Until we develop brotherhood among us, we cannot move Tripura forward," the CM said, according to an official release.

Saha said, "There are so many problems faced by the Samajpatis. After our government came, we introduced an honorarium of Rs 2,000. This is a mark of respect to the janajati community. When I chaired a meeting, I observed that only Samajpatis from 10 communities are receiving the honorarium. But I decided to extend it to all 19 communities and increased it from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000." PTI PS RG