West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday said his government had granted permission for 12,400 new Durga Pujas this year and all of them had received financial assistance from the state. Speaking at a special programme marking the beginning of 'Debipaksha' at the Eden Gardens here, Adhikari said around 45,000 Durga Pujas were held in the state last year. "Earlier, (during the previous government) to hold Durga Pujas, one had to approach the Calcutta High Court to get requisite permission. It was sad. I do not think there is a single such case this time. Compared to the number of Durga Pujas held in 2025, this year we have 12,400 new pujas," he said. "In our Cabinet meeting, we decided that Durga Pujas will not commence during Pitripakkha, which is why we inaugurated it today during Debipokkho. We had decided that this year, besides the cultural aspects of the puja, we will also follow the customary rituals as per the traditional Hindu astrological almanac," Adhikari .
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