Kolkata: Every year during Durga Puja in West Bengal, along with grand decorations, a big economic opportunity also arises. During this transaction at least Rs 40,000 crore takes place and employment opportunities are created for more than three lakh people. The stakeholders said this on Monday. They informed that a total of 40,000 community pujas are organized in the state.
Of these, 3,000 events take place in Kolkata alone. Due to these events, economic activities remain very fast in the state for about three to four months. Partho Ghosh, chairman of Forum for Durgotsav (FFD), an organization of around 400 community pujas, said, “At least Rs 40,000 crore is transacted during puja events in the state. At the same time, employment is created for at least two three lakh people across the state, as the festive activities begin three-four months earlier. In the Shiva temple, Sarabjanin is the organizer of Durga Puja.
He said that Puja committees act as facilitators of micro-economy. He told the media that on the occasion of Durga Puja, various sectors like pandal makers, idol makers, people associated with the electricity sector, security guards, priests, dhakis, laborers associated with idol transport and ‘bhog’ and catering arrangements. Connected people are involved. Ghosh said, “We do important work for the protection of the general public and our culture.” While FFD President Kajal Sarkar said, during the festival not only the main Durga Puja activities but also fashion, clothing, footwear, cosmetics, and retail. Sectors also get a boost from the buying and selling of people.
While the literature and publishing, travel, hotels, restaurants, film, and entertainment businesses also see a jump in sales during this period. “This year, the festival is expected to bring about Rs 50,000 crore worth of transactions,” he said. This assistance is helpful for ‘barori (community) puja’. Economist Debnarayan Sarkar said that Durga puja is a consumption-based activity. This has a manifold effect on the gross domestic product (GDP) of the state.
He said, according to an ASSOCHAM study in the year 2013, the size of the Durga Puja industry was Rs 25,000 crore. It was estimated to increase by about 35 percent. Accordingly, the worship industry should now reach close to Rs 70,000 crore. The economist said that we need a proper study to assess the value of the puja economy. Sarkar, a former professor at Presidency University, told PTI that the contribution of Durga Puja to the economy of the state is to Rio de Janeiro in the economy of the Brazilian city. The contribution is equal to or greater than that of the Janeiro Carnival and the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan.
The British Council conducted a study of Durga Puja 2019, which revealed that Durga Puja contributes 2.58 percent to the state’s GDP. West Bengal Industries Minister Shashi Panja told PTI that after the Covid-19 epidemic, there is speculation that the size of the worship economy this year is much higher than the British Council’s estimate.
