Durga Puja holiday extended
Deity of Durga. Collected photo.
The government has decided to declare a holiday on Thursday, October 22, by executive order on the occasion of the Sharadiya Durga Puja. As a result, government officers and employees will get five consecutive days of holiday from October 20 to October 24.
On Tuesday (September 29), the Prime Minister's Special Assistant for Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and Small Ethnic Groups, Bijan Kanti Sarkar, said that there will be a holiday by executive order on Tuesday, October 20, on the occasion of Maha Navami, and a general holiday on Wednesday, October 21, on the occasion of Bijoya Dashami. Along with that, there will be a holiday by executive order on Thursday, October 22. After that come Friday and Saturday, the weekly holidays. All together, the people of the Hindu community will enjoy five consecutive days of government holiday this time.
He said, "From the Prime Minister's fund, on the occasion of Durga Puja, there is usually a special allocation of four crore taka for puja mandaps across the country. This time, the Prime Minister has increased that allocation by another one crore taka."
Incidentally, this year's Sharadiya Durga Puja will begin on October 17.
Meanwhile, Bijan Kanti Sarkar said that on the occasion of the Buddhist community's auspicious Prabarana Purnima and Kathin Chibor Dan festival, the Prime Minister has increased the grant money from the Religious Welfare Trust by another one crore taka. Two crore taka was given last year; this time three crore taka has been given.
The auspicious Prabarana Purnima and Kathin Chibor Dan festival will begin in the second week of October and continue until the middle of November.
