Overview
- Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari indicated on Friday that the government may continue Durga Puja grants only for organisers who genuinely need financial help rather than paying every committee.
- Adhikari said no final decision has been taken and that the Information and Cultural Affairs Department will formally discuss options before any change is made.
- The grant began in 2018 at ₹10,000 per committee and rose over the years to about ₹1.10 lakh last year with nearly 43,000–44,000 committees receiving assistance and an electricity rebate component.
- Smaller neighbourhood organisers welcomed a needs-based approach as many rely on the aid, while critics have long argued that large, corporately sponsored marquee pujas should not get equal state support and two high-profile organisers are currently in custody on alleged corruption charges.
- If implemented, the switch would pose an administrative test of how the state defines and verifies 'need', could cut fiscal outlays, and is likely to reshape political patronage around Bengal's biggest cultural festival.