West Bengal Approves 12,400 New Durga Pujas, Announces Rs 1 Lakh Grant Per Committee

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday said the state government had permitted 12,400 new Durga Puja celebrations this year, with all the newly approved committees receiving financial assistance.

Addressing a special programme marking the beginning of Debipaksha at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Adhikari said around 45,000 Durga Pujas were held across the state in 2025. He announced that the government would begin disbursing grants to puja committees from Sunday.

The state government is providing a grant of Rs 1 lakh to each Durga Puja committee across West Bengal. Adhikari said more than 200 committees had declined the financial assistance this year, requesting the government to extend support to pujas organised in rural areas and those managed by women.

He also claimed that organisers no longer needed to approach the Calcutta High Court to obtain permission to hold Durga Puja, unlike during the previous government.

The chief minister said the state Cabinet had decided that Durga Puja celebrations would not commence during Pitripaksha, the fortnight dedicated to honouring ancestors through rituals such as tarpan and shraddha.

Instead, the government inaugurated the celebrations during Debipaksha, the auspicious period associated with Goddess Durga that begins after Mahalaya. Adhikari said the government wanted this year's festivities to reflect not only cultural traditions but also customary rituals prescribed by the traditional Hindu astrological calendar.

Special cultural programmes will be organised over the next four days, until Sasthi, in Durgapur, Bishnupur, Siliguri, Cooch Behar, Malda, Berhampore and Digha, he added. Earlier, Adhikari led a rally from Red Road to Eden Gardens, accompanied by state Cabinet ministers, film personalities and members of the sporting fraternity.

Governor R N Ravi, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar and BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya attended the programme. Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, who is visiting Kolkata for a few days, was also present. She shared the dais with the chief minister, the governor and actor Mithun Chakraborty.