Bengal has a new puja dole. And Lord Jagannath has bagged a richer kitty than Ma Durga.

The Suvendu Adhikari government has decided to give ₹5 lakh to every Rath Yatra organiser in Bengal.

Durga Puja organisers got ₹1.1 lakh each from the previous government last year, but Suvendu has said the money might this year be restricted to those who genuinely need it.

There is no such “need” clause for the Rath Yatra organisers.

Bengal has about 43,000 registered Durga Pujas, while a preliminary estimate by Nabanna suggests the number of registered Rath Yatra organisers is “at least 26”. However, the dole is expected to cause the number to soar.

A notification issued by the government and emailed to district magistrates says: “Financial assistance of Rs Five Lakh Only has been approved for each of the identified Rath Yatra Committees in your district. The cheque(s) may kindly be handed over to authorised representatives of the identified Rath Yatra committees on 13th July, 2026.”

The nine-day festival starts on July 16.

Suvendu is scheduled to address the Rath organisers virtually on the occasion of the cheque distribution.

“The annual Rath Yatra Utsav is one of the most significant and religious and cultural festivities of the State and witnesses participation of a large number of devotees from different parts of West Bengal and beyond,” the email says.

It instructs the district administrative heads to make “comprehensive arrangements” in consultation with all the departments concerned, such as setting up “Sewa Shivirs” or facilitation camps along the Rath Yatra routes, particularly at large congregation points.

The state government will offer ₹1 lakh to every district to set up and operate the facilitation camps, which will provide:

• Drinking water and ORS packets;

• First aid and emergency medical assistance;

• Assistance to elderly, women, children and differently abled devotees;

• Information, guidance and any other pilgrim-friendly services considered appropriate by the district administration.

The government has urged the district magistrates to convene coordination meetings with multiple departments — police, health, PWD, transport, fire and emergency services — and the Rath Yatra committees.

No Rath Yatra organiser could recall any such government initiative in the past.

“I have been a part of Iskcon’s Rath Yatra festival for over two decades and never witnessed such a scale of arrangement, as mentioned,” said Radharaman Das, chief priest at the Sri Sri Jagannath Mandir, Digha, and a member of the temple’s trustee committee.

“No other government in Bengal offered financial help to Rath Yatra organisers. Lord Jagannath is a vital facet of Bengal’s ethos, and so many clubs and smaller organisations organise the Rath Yatra in the state.”

Das added: “This financial help will encourage more people to organise the Rath Yatra and the money will be ploughed back into society through such celebrations.”

A senior state government official said: “The district magistrates have been told they can recommend Rath Yatra organisers and committees for inclusion in the existing list so that they receive the government grant.”

Such inclusions will be based on several parameters, such as the historical importance of the particular Rath Yatra, the size of the public participation and the scaleof the celebration, sources said.

Iskcon’s Rath Yatras are the largest in Bengal. The Mahesh Rath Yatra in Serampore, Hooghly, remains the oldest in Bengal, dating back to 1532-33, and the second-oldest in the world after Puri.

The Odisha government offers financial aid to local temples and committees that organise Rath Yatras outside the main festival in Puri.

Odisha’s law department and the Devastan Endowment Commission manage the funding, disbursed also to help local shrines and temples host annual festivals like Sital Sasthi and Dussehra.