Bangladesh Hikes Grants For Durga Puja, Strengthens Security For Festival

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has increased the government grant for this year's Durga Puja to Taka 5 crore and extended the holiday for government employees to five days during the celebrations which is being seen as a major outreach to the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh.

Although the Hindu Religious Welfare Trust sought Taka 4 crore for Durga Puja, Taka 5 crore has been allocated under the special consideration of the Prime Minister, news reports in Bangladesh said. Similarly, the Buddhist Religious Welfare Trust had sought Taka 2 crore for Kathin Chibar Dan but Taka 3 crore has been allocated.

The Bangladesh Government has also extended the official Durga Puja holiday to three days in response to longstanding demands from the Hindu community and the extension will provide a total five-day break when combined with the weekend.

Amidst questions over security and safety of minorities, the Bangladesh Government has also announced enhanced security measures for Durga Puja this year. Authorities will use a mobile application developed by the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center (NTMC) in Bangladesh to strengthen monitoring during the festival.

Bangladesh's Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has announced enhanced security measures, increased government funding and an extended holiday for the upcoming festival.

"Responsibilities for ensuring security and smooth celebrations have been assigned across government agencies at the national, divisional, district and upazila levels," state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sanstha (BSS) quoted him as saying.

The minister announced the plans at a press briefing following a high-level coordination meeting at the Home Ministry on security arrangements for the peaceful celebration of Durga Puja.

Durga Puja will be celebrated in Bangladesh across 33,851 puja mandaps, an increase by nearly 1,500 from last year.

State Minister for Religious Affairs Mohammad Shamim Kaiser has directed authorities to ensure foolproof security for the smooth, peaceful, safe celebration of the upcoming puja across the country, BSS reported.

Referring to the increase in the number of puja mandaps nationwide, Shamim Kaiser said the local administration and law enforcement agencies should perform their duties with utmost vigilance to ensure proper management and overall security, particularly during idol immersion.

Attacks on minorities, especially Hindus had risen sharply under the interim regime led by Muhammad Yunus after the downfall of the Sheikh Hasina government in 2024 and India had also raised the issue with Bangladesh authorities several times.

Tarique Rahman, after coming to power this year, had said that his government would ensure the safety of minorities in the country. "We want to turn this country into a safe land for every citizen. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians - regardless of party, opinion, religion or ethnicity - whether living in the hills or the plains, this country belongs to us," he said in his first address as Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

More recently, the Prime Minister had attended Janmashtami celebrations in Bangladesh where he said people of different religions and views live together in every country and urged citizens not to view themselves through the lens of majority and minority identities.

"Let us not think of ourselves as a majority and minority. Let us think of ourselves as Bangladeshi," he said, as minority groups continue to raise concerns over the safety of minorities in Bangladesh amid law-and-order incidents targeting the Hindu community.