CM Suvendu Adhikari at the Mahalaya event at Eden Gardens
Kolkata: Bengal would see 12,400 new Durga Pujas this year, taking the total number from 45,000 in 2025 to 57,400 this time, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari announced at the inauguration of the Durga Puja festival at Eden Gardens on Saturday evening. “In 2025, 45,000 Durga Pujas were granted permission. This year, the nationalist, double-engine govt, which seeks to honour our culture, heritage and Sanatan traditions, has granted approval to 12,400 new applicants to hold puja. Adhikari announced that puja committees willing to accept the govt financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh would start receiving the money from Sunday. He also acknowledged Union home minister Amit Shah’s participation in the inauguration programme at Victoria Memorial in 2023.
He said the state approved the new applicants and made arrangements to provide them with grant. Arrangements have been made to provide them with the grants,” Adhikari said. Taking a swipe at the previous dispensation, the CM said people were earlier forced to approach the high court to organise Durga Puja. This time, to my knowledge, no one had to approach the high court,” he said. He said the state cabinet decided that celebrations should not begin in Pitri Paksha and that the festival inauguration would instead take place during Devi Paksha. “Over 200 puja committees, especially in Kolkata, said they would not take the grant,” he said. Seeking to add an international character to the festival, Adhikari said the state would work to promote Durga Puja’s heritage, tradition and scripturally guided practices globally.
“That was a matter of grief and sorrow. The chief minister sought to position the govt’s approach as one that combined the cultural heritage of Durga Puja with its religious significance and scriptural traditions. He added the govt left it to organisers of big-budget pujas to decide whether to accept the money or not, adding there would be no adverse feelings towards those declining it. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s initiative for Durga Puja receiving Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage recognition.