BENGAL WIDENS DURGA PUJA SUPPORT WITH 12,400 NEW GRANTS AS SUVENDU ADHIKARI PUTS TRADITION AT THE HEART OF FESTIVITIES
October 10, 2026
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday announced that the state government has approved 12,400 new Durga Puja committees this year, with each committee eligible for a financial grant of ₹1 lakh. The disbursement of assistance to Puja committees across Bengal is scheduled to begin on Sunday.
Making the announcement at a special programme at Eden Gardens in Kolkata to mark the beginning of Debipaksha, Adhikari said the state had hosted approximately 45,000 Durga Puja celebrations last year. He described the approval of the additional committees as a significant expansion of the festival’s reach and said all 12,400 newly approved committees had received financial assistance.
The chief minister also said that more than 200 Puja committees had declined the government’s grant this year. Instead, they had requested that the assistance be redirected towards rural Bengal and Puja celebrations organised by women. Adhikari highlighted the request as part of the discussion surrounding the distribution of public support for the state’s biggest annual festival.
Adhikari contrasted the present arrangements with those under the previous government, claiming that organisers had earlier needed to approach the Calcutta High Court to obtain the necessary permission to hold Durga Pujas. He said he did not believe any comparable case had arisen this year.
The chief minister also emphasised the government’s decision to align the formal inauguration of Durga Puja with traditional Hindu astrological observances. He said the cabinet had decided that celebrations would not commence during Pitripaksha, the fortnight dedicated to honouring ancestors, and that this year’s festivities would begin during Debipaksha, the auspicious period associated with Goddess Durga.
As part of the celebrations, special cultural programmes will be organised over the next four days, until Sasthi, in Durgapur, Bishnupur, Siliguri, Cooch Behar, Malda, Berhampore and Digha. The events are intended to extend the festive atmosphere beyond Kolkata and bring cultural performances to several districts across the state.
Earlier on Saturday, Adhikari led a procession of state cabinet ministers, film personalities and members of the sporting fraternity from Red Road to Eden Gardens. Governor R. N. Ravi, Union minister Sukanta Majumdar, BJP state president and MP Samik Bhattacharya, and writer Taslima Nasrin were among those present at the programme.
The announcement places financial assistance and traditional observances at the centre of the state’s Durga Puja preparations. With grants set to begin flowing to committees on Sunday, the government’s initiative will support thousands of organisers as communities across Bengal prepare for the festival
