Dhaka, Sept. 29 -- This year's Durga Puja will stretch into a five-day holiday, with the government adding two days off by executive order to the festival calendar.

Oct 21, Wednesday, will be a public holiday for Dashami. The government will also grant holidays on Nabami, Oct 20, and Oct 22, Thursday, the day after the immersion.

With Friday and Saturday already being weekly holidays, the break will run for five days, said Prime Minister's Special Assistant for Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and ethnic minority affairs Bijan Kanti Sarker.

"From the prime minister's fund, Tk 40 million is allocated as a special grant for puja mandaps across the country. This year, the prime minister has increased the allocation by another Tk 10 million," he...