Aranghata (Nadia): West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday announced the creation of a Rs 1,000 crore corpus for the renovation of old Hindu temples and monasteries in the state, news agency IANS reported. The announcement was made while he was addressing the inauguration function of a community Kali Puja at Aranghata in Nadia district on Friday afternoon.

Source: IANS via hi INDiA

The Chief Minister said the project has been named the 'Tirtha Kshetra Circuit' (Pilgrimage Circuit) and that the Rs 1,000 crore will be utilised over a period of two years. "We will spend Rs 1,000 crore in the next two years to renovate all the old Hindu monasteries and temples. I have named it the 'Tirtha Kshetra Circuit'. Apart from private places, we will work to renovate the ancient temples that are run by religious institutions and even by the public," he said, according to IANS. AirNews also reported the same Rs 1,000 crore allocation for ancient Bengal temple restoration.

Source: AirNews

Adhikari cited the temple-corridor work carried out under Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the model for the Bengal plan. "Such kind of work had already been done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kedar Dham, Badrinath Dham, Ayodhya Dham, Benaras, and Ujjain Mahakal," the Chief Minister said.

Festival plans: Jagaddhatri Puja, Ras Purnima and Gangasagar

Detailing the state government's plans for the forthcoming religious festivals, the Chief Minister said Chandannagar in Hooghly district and Krishnanagar in Nadia district will be decorated specially for the forthcoming Jagaddhatri Puja, while Nabadwip and Shantipur in Nadia district and Cooch Behar will be decorated for the Ras Purnima festival. He said this year's Gangasagar Mela has been declared an international fair and that preparations for it have already started. He said he will go to Chandannagar and Krishnanagar for Jagaddhatri Puja and to Nabadwip for Ras Purnima, where he will also take part in religious activities at the abode of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Adhikari also attacked the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, saying, according to IANS: "Earlier, Durga idol immersions often faced problems. This year, there was no restriction or hurdle anywhere." The remark is the Chief Minister's claim; no response from the Trinamool Congress was reported in the agency copy at the time of this report.

What happens next: the state government is expected to identify the temples and monasteries to be taken up under the Tirtha Kshetra Circuit and release the spending schedule for the two-year programme. Awaaz Punjab will update this story when the project list and departmental orders are issued.