The West Bengal government has announced the Green Durga Puja Excellence Award, offering up to ₹1 lakh to puja committees that demonstrate strong environmental protection, waste management and community participation during Durga Puja 2026. A new Green Durga Puja Evaluation App has also been launched for registrations.
The announcement was made at a press conference on Thursday by municipal affairs minister Agnimitra Pal, according to Sangbad Pratidin. The state government said the award would recognise puja committees that adopt environmentally responsible practices and use their platforms to promote public awareness.
The state-level competition will have four award categories. These include the Best Green Durga Puja award for the use of environment-friendly materials in pandal decoration and other measures to protect the environment; the Best Clean and Waste-Smart Puja award; the Best Awareness Initiative award; and the Community Engagement Award.
The community engagement category will recognise puja committees that encourage local residents to participate in social initiatives and other activities organised around the festival. The categories place waste handling, public messaging and neighbourhood participation alongside the design and environmental performance of puja venues.
The first-ranked puja committee at the state level will receive ₹1 lakh, while the second- and third-ranked committees will receive ₹80,000 and ₹50,000 respectively. The government will also recognise the best puja committee from each district, with each selected committee receiving ₹25,000.
Puja committees seeking to participate can register through the newly introduced Green Durga Puja Evaluation App. The announcement did not specify a registration deadline, evaluation schedule, judging panel or detailed scoring criteria in the information reported by the publication.
The programme also includes an initiative to encourage puja committees to distribute saplings to visitors. According to the minister’s statement reported by Sangbad Pratidin, special stalls will be created at puja venues for distributing plants, linking the festival’s large visitor footfall with an environmental awareness effort.
For Kolkata and other urban areas in West Bengal, the announcement places festival management within a wider municipal framework involving cleanliness, waste segregation and public participation. Puja venues attract large crowds and generate substantial activity in neighbourhoods, making the management of materials, waste and visitor engagement an important part of how the festival is organised in the city.
The new award scheme will therefore depend on how the state translates its broad categories into measurable evaluation standards. The government has announced the prize structure and registration platform, while details of the application process, assessment criteria and final selection timeline remain to be provided.
