Kolkata, Sept. 22 -- Durga Puja organisers seeking grants from the state government will have to submit their own PAN details and bank account information before receiving the financial assistance.
The Suvendu Adhikari government is committed to ensuring that public money reaches identifiable organisations rather than an individual office-bearer. The Puja committee is not always the same as a registered club or society. Some celebrations are organised by established clubs with existing accounts, while others are run by local committees that have continued for decades through informal arrangements. The new regulations may create difficulties for committees that have operated for years without formal registration or institutional accounts, sources said.
The government's new process aims to bring transparency in the system. It was learnt that Puja organisers have been asked to provide a PAN card and bank account details in the name of the Puja committee while applying for permission. Police stations have told committees that assistance with the grant process will not be possible without these details. Under the earlier arrangement, a committee without its own registration or account could submit the PAN and bank information of one of its office-bearers. The grant could then be issued via a cheque in that person's name.
At a meeting with Durga Puja organisers recently, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said smaller puja committees would receive Rs 1 lakh each in government assistance after applying for the grant. However, he urged larger pujas with the financial capacity to raise funds independently to refrain from seeking the aid. BJP MLA and Puja organiser Sajal Ghosh said on social media that Santosh Mitra Square had not accepted government assistance in the past and would continue the practice this year.
As per norms, the Puja committees seeking the grant need to apply through their respective police stations. The applications are then scrutinised and forwarded through the police administration for processing under the prescribed government procedure.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.