West Bengal to give ₹5 lakh to each 60 rath yatra committee: CM Adhikari

THe Bharatiya Janata company (BJP) authorities in westward Bengal testament bring home the bacon financial assistance of ₹5 lakh each to 60 rath yatra committees, many of which are centuries-old, announced chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday.“The old rathas (chariots), particularly those made of wood, need renovation. I hope that the committees will use the money for the repair and renovation of the rathas,” Adhikari said.Adhikari also announced that helicopters will shower flower petals on devotees undertaking the 30-km long Shravan yatra at Tarakeshwar in Hooghly district this year.This is the first time the government is providing such financial assistance to rath yatra committees.Rath yatra is celebrated with much fanfare in many pockets across the state. Fairs are held in many places centering this festival.“Some of the rath yatra festivals, including Mahishadal in East Midnapore and Mahesh in Hooghly, are centuries-old. The previous government only used to send some traffic police personnel to these rath yatras. The state government has decided to actively participate in the rath yatra starting this year,” he said.  While the rath yatra of Mahishadal is around 250-years-old, the Mahesh rath yatra is more than six-centuries-old and is considered the second oldest chariot festival after Puri.  The CM said that more rath yatra committees will be included in the list in the future.Adhikari also said that the government will set up seva kendras (assistance booths) in at least 75 places where fairs are organised centering around the centuries old rath yatras. Pilgrims will get basic services at these booths.Former CM Mamata Banerjee started the practice of providing financial assistance to the Durga Puja organisers from 2018. In 2025 the Trinamool Congress-government hiked the state’s grant for community clubs that organise Durga Puja across Bengal from ₹85,000 each to ₹1.10 lakh.The West Bengal government has allocated ₹1000 crore to build a Bengal Shaktipeeth Circuit connecting major temples to facilitate pilgrimage and religious tourism over the next three years and to develop a restoration plan for some of the prominent and iconic temples across the state.The CM also said that for the first time the state government would set up assistance booths along the routes taken by pilgrims during the Shravan Mela.“Three routes have been identified including one at Jalpesh in Jalpaiguri, Tarakeshwar in Hooghly and the third one near the Indo-Bhutan border. Police kiosks, medical camps and booths where pilgrims can refresh themselves will be set up,” he said.