Kolkata, Sep 2026 : West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday announced a financial grant of Rs 1 lakh for all community Durga Puja committees in the state for this year's celebrations.
The announcement came after the Chief Minister held a meeting with representatives of community Durga Puja committees from across West Bengal. While making the grant available to all eligible community pujas, Adhikari appealed to financially strong, big-budget committees to voluntarily opt out of the assistance if they are capable of organising their celebrations without government support.
Adhikari said the objective of the grant was primarily to assist smaller puja committees that may find it difficult to meet the expenses associated with organising the annual festival.
“Earlier, I said in a programme that I will give grants to those community Durga Puja committees with small budgets. However, I do not want to abuse the power of the Chief Minister. So, this grant will be open for all community Pujas,” he said while speaking to the media after the meeting.
The Chief Minister appealed to financially self-sufficient committees not to accept government assistance, saying the funds should ideally reach puja organisers who genuinely require financial support.
“We want to give this grant of Rs 1,00,000 to those committees who cannot perform puja without this money,” he said.
Adhikari also announced that Durga Puja committees across the state would not have to bear electricity charges during the festival. However, he made it clear that the use of DJs would not be permitted during the Puja celebrations anywhere in West Bengal.
The Chief Minister further announced that liquor shops, pubs and bars across the state would remain closed on Maha Ashtami, which falls on October 19 this year. He described the decision to observe the day as a dry day as a measure to preserve the religious and cultural significance of the festival.
“Maha Ashtami is an auspicious occasion. On that day, we offer flowers to Devi Durga. So, this year, we have decided to declare a dry day on that day,” Adhikari said, urging people to respect the traditions associated with the festival.
He said Durga Puja was not merely a religious occasion but also an important part of Bengal's cultural identity. “Puja is our religious tradition. Our cultural tradition is intertwined with the occasion. You should not do anything that hurts it,” he said.
During his interaction with the media, Adhikari also took a political swipe at former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the issue of government grants to Durga Puja committees.
He alleged that under the previous government, the distribution of Puja grants had become a means of gaining political mileage. Adhikari claimed that the approach had not yielded the desired electoral benefits and had instead made several committees dependent on government assistance.
“In the previous regime, this grant almost took the shape of an auction to gain political mileage,” he said, adding that the government would now focus on ensuring that financial assistance reaches committees that genuinely need it.
