Durga Puja Grant
Durga Puja, Bengal’s biggest festival, is set to arrive in the second week of October. This will be the first major Sharadotsav after the formation of the new state government in May.
However, the new government’s policy on financial assistance for Durga Puja committees remains under discussion.
Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari has already indicated that the government will not provide financial grants to every Durga Puja committee as the previous administration did. Instead, the government is considering selecting committees that genuinely require financial assistance.
According to sources at Nabanna, the government is considering financial grants for Puja committees whose budgets are below Rs 10 lakh. The proposal, however, has not been finalised yet.
The Chief Minister may hold further discussions with the state Finance Department before taking the final decision.
Until last year, the previous state government provided financial assistance to all police-approved Durga Puja committees across West Bengal.
In 2025, the grant had reached Rs 1.10 lakh per committee.
The financial assistance programme was first introduced in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, many Puja committees faced severe financial difficulties because of the lockdown and restrictions.
The government initially provided Rs 50,000 to each eligible committee. The amount was subsequently increased over the following years.
The new government, however, has decided to reconsider the earlier model of providing the same grant to all committees.
Instead, it wants to identify committees that have a genuine financial requirement.
The proposal to focus on Puja committees with budgets below Rs 10 lakh has therefore attracted considerable attention among smaller organisers.
Many small committees have reportedly not finalised their budgets because they are still waiting for clarity on the government’s policy.
Some committees have already reduced their expenditure. Others have reportedly changed their themes or replaced theme designers in an effort to control costs.
The issue gained further momentum after a meeting between Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari and representatives of the Forum for Durgotsav, an umbrella organisation representing Kolkata’s Durga Puja committees.
The meeting was held at Nabanna on Wednesday.
Anjan Ukil, one of the officials associated with Ballygunge Cultural, and Sandipan Bandyopadhyay of Behala Nutan Dal met the Chief Minister to discuss several issues related to Kolkata’s Durga Puja celebrations.
Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Indranil Khan was also present during the meeting.
According to a message later circulated in the Forum for Durgotsav’s WhatsApp group, several issues were discussed.
These included Puja arrangements on major roads and lanes, electricity concessions, corporation tax relief on hoardings and banners, and financial assistance for Puja committees.
The Forum said the Chief Minister had assured its representatives that the government would discuss the issues with the concerned departments.
A decision is expected to be communicated at a meeting later this month.
The Forum also expressed its gratitude to the Chief Minister and the Sports and Youth Welfare Minister.
The message from the Forum has reportedly generated fresh hope among several smaller Puja committees in Kolkata.
Many organisers believe that they could become eligible for government assistance if the proposed system focuses on smaller-budget celebrations.
However, uncertainty remains because the government has not yet formally finalised the eligibility criteria.
The issue is particularly important for small community Puja committees that depend heavily on local contributions.
Debashis Som, one of the organisers of the well-known Tala Pratyay Puja in north Kolkata, welcomed the possibility of prioritising smaller committees.
He said their Puja committee is relatively new and that they plan to organise the festival using funds collected through the initiative of club members.
In south Kolkata, the Behala Sahapur Sangathani Club is also waiting for the government’s decision.
Club member Mainak Chattopadhyay said their Puja budget is well below Rs 10 lakh and even below Rs 5 lakh.
According to him, receiving government assistance would allow the committee to improve the scale and quality of its celebrations.
The focus is now firmly on Nabanna.
The government is expected to clarify its policy later this month after consultations with the relevant departments.
Apart from financial grants, Puja organisers are also awaiting decisions regarding electricity concessions, taxes on promotional materials and arrangements for celebrations on roads and lanes.
The final policy will determine how Kolkata’s smaller Puja committees prepare for the first Sharadotsav under the new administration.
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