Odisha Govt To Provide Financial Aid To Old Durga Puja Committees

Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the festive season, the Odisha government is planning to provide financial assistance to the organisers of old Durga Puja pandals in the state to help them continue with their tradition.

Sources said secretary of Odia Language, Literature, and Culture department, B K Upadhyaya has sought information from all the district collectors on the number of such puja pandals in their respective regions.

While modalities of the financial aid are yet to be worked out, the government plans to provide Rs one lakh to pandals that are a 100-year-old or more, Rs 75,000 to those that are 75-years-old and Rs 50,000 to pandals which have been organising the festival for 50 years.

The move is on the lines of support extended to other festivals like Sahi Jata, Dhanu Yatra, Sital Sasthi and Daspalla Lanka Podi.

Among those that will receive the financial aid are puja pandals where the tradition of Durga Puja dates back to 50 years, 75 years and 100 years.

A senior official said that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s idea is to support the oldest Durga Puja celebrations in the state. “We have sought information from collectors after receipt of which, their historical connection with the festival will be traced and a final list of such pandals drawn for approval of the CM,” he said.

The focus areas are Cuttack, Balasore, Bhadrak, Koraput and Khurda districts. If there are no pandals older than 50 years, the collectors have been asked to furnish information of two of the oldest puja pandals in their regions.

The department had conducted an exercise in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar recently and found out that it would require at least Rs three crore for supporting the oldest puja pandals.