Mamata Announces ₹1.10 Lakh Honorarium for Durga Puja Organisers

Rapid Summary

• Announcement: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee announced a 30% hike in honorarium for Durga Puja communities, raising it to ₹1.10 lakh from last year’s ₹85,000.
• Cost: The initiative will cost ₹495 crore to the State exchequer, benefiting about 45,000 Durga puja clubs.
• Additional measures: The Chief Minister requested electricity companies to offer an 80% rebate and urged organisers to focus on crowd management during the festival.
• Festival timeline: Durga Puja will occur in the last week of September, with an official carnival scheduled for October 5.
• Support for migrant workers: Ms.Banerjee asked clubs to assist returning migrant workers allegedly facing harassment in BJP-led states.
• opposition criticism: Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari criticized the move as a “vote-bribing strategy” and highlighted unmet commitments like payment of Dearness Allowance (DA) and wage hikes for contractual staff.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The increase in honorarium reflects Mamata Banerjee’s efforts to strengthen ties with grassroots organisations ahead of upcoming assembly polls. While this decision underscores the importance of Durga puja as a cultural cornerstone in Bengal, its fiscal implications-₹495 crore allocated-could be contested amid other financial responsibilities such as DA payments or wage revisions that remain unresolved.

Criticism from opposition parties highlights broader political tensions between governance priorities and perceived electoral strategies. This annual grant’s continuous rise over seven years indicates its dual role: festival promotion and mobilising public support-a tactic increasingly centralised under state authority.

Additionally, Ms. Banerjee’s appeal to support migrant workers raises pertinent interstate labor issues leading back into national policy debates surrounding protections against harassment elsewhere within india.

For more details: Source