West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has said the state government has approved 12,400 new Durga Puja committees this year, taking the total number of approved pujas across the state to more than 57,000. The newly approved pujas have also been included in a government grant scheme providing Rs 1 lakh to each committee, according to his statement.
Adhikari made the announcement at the ‘Uma Agamani’ programme held at Eden Gardens on Saturday evening. The approvals mark the first Durga Puja season since the change of government in West Bengal, and the chief minister used the figures to outline his administration’s approach to permissions, grants and cultural events.
The chief minister said around 45,000 pujas had been approved in 2025. With 12,400 new applications approved this year, the number has crossed 57,000, according to the figures cited at the event. The government’s grant arrangements will apply to the newly approved pujas as well, he said.
Adhikari also referred to the legal difficulties faced by organisers in earlier years while seeking permission to hold Durga Puja events. “In the past, one had to go to the High Court to organise Durga Puja. It was a matter of sadness and pain for us. As far as I know, this year no one had to go to the High Court,” he said.
He said simplifying the administrative approval process had been one of the new government’s objectives. His remarks indicate that the state is presenting the expanded approvals as an administrative decision taken at the government level rather than a process requiring organisers to seek judicial intervention.
The approvals affect a large network of temporary public events that are organised across cities, towns and neighbourhoods during the festival season. Such events typically require coordination with local authorities and other public agencies, although the statement did not specify the detailed approval procedure, the agencies involved or the conditions attached to the permissions.
The chief minister also said that nearly 200 puja committees in Kolkata had declined the government’s Rs 1 lakh grant despite being offered the assistance. The statement did not provide a district-wise breakdown of the newly approved pujas, the total financial allocation for the grant scheme or the number of committees that have accepted the money.
Adhikari linked the approvals and grants to the government’s stated support for Bengal’s cultural traditions and its intention to recognise Durga Puja as a major part of the state’s public and cultural life. Further administrative details, including the distribution of approvals and the implementation of the grant arrangements, were not announced at the event.
