- Mamata Banerjee announces a grant of Rs 50,000 to each Durga Puja committee.
- Cultural programs at pandals won’t be allowed during Durga Puja.
- The West Bengal CM said that the Durga Puja committees should ensure hand sanitizers are placed at entry points of the pandals and everyone should wear a mask
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced guidelines for the upcoming Durga Puja festival amid the Covid-19 spread in the country. As per the guidelines issued by the Bengal government for Durga Puja, cultural programs will not be allowed at pandals.
The individuals wishing to visit the puja pandals will have to follow all COVID-19 procedures of social distancing, mask use, personal hygiene issued by the union ministry of health and family welfare, and state government. The West Bengal CM said that the Durga Puja committees should ensure hand sanitizers are placed at entry points of the pandals and everyone should wear a mask.
Notably, in order to maintain proper ventilation, Banerjee announced that the pandals meant for Durga Puja should be open from all four sides. While announcing the Bengal government’s Durga Puja guidelines during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Mamata Banerjee said that Durga Puja committees will get Rs 50,000 each as a grant from the state government. 80,000 hawkers across the state will also be provided a one-time grant of Rs 2000 ahead of the Durga Puja.
“Due to the COVID pandemic, it has been a tough time for all of us. We have decided to provide Rs 50,000 grant to each Durga Puja committee of the state. We have also decided that CESC and the state electricity board will give 50 percent waiver for the puja committees,” Banerjee said addressing the Durga Puja Coordination meeting here.
In West Bengal, there are 2,34,673 people infected with the deadly virus as of Wednesday, according to the figures published by the state health department. The number of fatalities stood at 4,544.
