West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said her government would provide a raised financial aid of ₹60,000 to every Durga Puja committee. Till last year, this amount was ₹50,000. The rebate on electrical prices borne by puja committees will also be increased from 50 per cent to 60 per cent.
Speaking at an administrative meeting held at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) boss said that on September 1, a major rally will be held in Kolkata to honour The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for including Kolkata's Durga Puja on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Durga Puja in Kolkata is the first celebration in Asia to have received this honour from UNESCO.
She said the rally would have no political agenda, and anybody and everybody was free to join it. "I will invite 10,000 students from senior schools to be part of this rally," Banerjee said.
She further said that government holidays for the annual autumnal festival will commence from September 30 and continue till October 10.
The chief minister also said the annual carnival on Red Road will take place on October 8, three days after Dashami, adding that festivities will take place not only in capital Kolkata, but also in districts around the same time as the major procession.
{{/usCountry}}The chief minister also said the annual carnival on Red Road will take place on October 8, three days after Dashami, adding that festivities will take place not only in capital Kolkata, but also in districts around the same time as the major procession.
{{/usCountry}}Banerjee also hit out at the BJP-led Central government for not releasing funds for the state. She said: “The Centre is not releasing funds for the state. Despite that, we will increase donations for the clubs from last year's ₹50,000 to ₹60,000. We will also provide them a rebate of 60 per cent on the electricity bill”.