Ministry of Culture press release · 9 March 2026 · pibtracker filter

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION AND PROMOTION OF DURGA PUJA

PRID2236928 MinistryMinistry of Culture Released9 March 2026 Reading8 min

Posted On: 09 MAR 2026 3:15PM by PIB Delhi Grant in Aid is provided to International Organizations for promoting Durga Puja Globally under Global Engagement Scheme of Ministry of Culture. In the year 2023, an amount of Rs. 22,29,244/- was allotted by this Ministry for the documentation and research of Durga Puja for submission of Intangible Culture Nomination to the UNESCO. In September 2025, Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) shared a video of Durga Puja celebrations with the association Ippan Shadan Houjin Indojinno Tsudoi, representing the Indian Bengali community in Tokyo, which was observing the festival with deep devotion and cultural fervour. Further, during the Intergovernmental Committee Meeting held from 8-13 December 2025 at the Red Fort, Delhi, a traditional Dhunuchi Naach performance was showcased before representatives of more than 190 participating countries, as well as UNESCO officials. The Government is expanding its Incredible India 2.0 Campaign to boost international tourism, with a specific focus on promoting Durga Puja, recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Strategy involves digital marketing, international media coverage, and cultural showcases to attract foreign visitors. Sangeet Natak Akademi, the nodal agency for Intangible Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, constituted an expert committee which carried out extensive outreach and fieldwork to ensure the active participation of diverse communities, groups, and individuals associated with the festival. These field consultations with stake holders provided detailed accounts of observances, thereby enabling first-hand documentation grounded in lived cultural practice. These initiatives collectively ensure that the historical evolution, artistic excellence, ritual practices, and socio-cultural dimensions of Durga Puja are systematically recorded, preserved, and promoted at national and international levels. This information was given by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Lok Sabha today *** M Annadurai (Release ID: 2236928) Visitor Counter : 749 Read this release in: Urdu , हिन्दी , Bengali , Bengali-TR , Telugu Ministry of Culture INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION AND PROMOTION OF DURGA PUJA Posted On: 09 MAR 2026 3:15PM by PIB Delhi Grant in Aid is provided to International Organizations for promoting Durga Puja Globally under Global Engagement Scheme of Ministry of Culture. In the year 2023, an amount of Rs. 22,29,244/- was allotted by this Ministry for the documentation and research of Durga Puja for submission of Intangible Culture Nomination to the UNESCO. In September 2025, Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) shared a video of Durga Puja celebrations with the association Ippan Shadan Houjin Indojinno Tsudoi, representing the Indian Bengali community in Tokyo, which was observing the festival with deep devotion and cultural fervour. Further, during the Intergovernmental Committee Meeting held from 8-13 December 2025 at the Red Fort, Delhi, a traditional Dhunuchi Naach performance was showcased before representatives of more than 190 participating countries, as well as UNESCO officials. The Government is expanding its Incredible India 2.0 Campaign to boost international tourism, with a specific focus on promoting Durga Puja, recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Strategy involves digital marketing, international media coverage, and cultural showcases to attract foreign visitors. Sangeet Natak Akademi, the nodal agency for Intangible Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, constituted an expert committee which carried out extensive outreach and fieldwork to ensure the active participation of diverse communities, groups, and individuals associated with the festival. These field consultations with stake holders provided detailed accounts of observances, thereby enabling first-hand documentation grounded in lived cultural practice. These initiatives collectively ensure that the historical evolution, artistic excellence, ritual practices, and socio-cultural dimensions of Durga Puja are systematically recorded, preserved, and promoted at national and international levels. This information was given by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Lok Sabha today *** M Annadurai (Release ID: 2236928) Grant in Aid is provided to International Organizations for promoting Durga Puja Globally under Global Engagement Scheme of Ministry of Culture. In the year 2023, an amount of Rs. 22,29,244/- was allotted by this Ministry for the documentation and research of Durga Puja for submission of Intangible Culture Nomination to the UNESCO. In September 2025, Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) shared a video of Durga Puja celebrations with the association Ippan Shadan Houjin Indojinno Tsudoi, representing the Indian Bengali community in Tokyo, which was observing the festival with deep devotion and cultural fervour. Further, during the Intergovernmental Committee Meeting held from 8-13 December 2025 at the Red Fort, Delhi, a traditional Dhunuchi Naach performance was showcased before representatives of more than 190 participating countries, as well as UNESCO officials. The Government is expanding its Incredible India 2.0 Campaign to boost international tourism, with a specific focus on promoting Durga Puja, recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Strategy involves digital marketing, international media coverage, and cultural showcases to attract foreign visitors. Sangeet Natak Akademi, the nodal agency for Intangible Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, constituted an expert committee which carried out extensive outreach and fieldwork to ensure the active participation of diverse communities, groups, and individuals associated with the festival. These field consultations with stake holders provided detailed accounts of observances, thereby enabling first-hand documentation grounded in lived cultural practice. These initiatives collectively ensure that the historical evolution, artistic excellence, ritual practices, and socio-cultural dimensions of Durga Puja are systematically recorded, preserved, and promoted at national and international levels. This information was given by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Lok Sabha today *** M Annadurai " /> var mPlayer = document.getElementById("background_music"); var mPlayAction = document.getElementById("playbutton"); var isPlaying = false; function playAudio() { mPlayer.play(); isPlaying = true; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "none"; } function pauseAudio() { mPlayer.pause(); isPlaying = false; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "none"; } //function HandleAudio() { // if (isPlaying == true) { // //Playing already Pause it // pauseAudio(); // } else { // //Play the music // playAudio(); // } //} var synth = window.speechSynthesis; function CleanHtml(html) { html = html.replace(/ /gi, ''); return html; } function stripHtml(html) { let tmp = document.createElement("DIV"); tmp.innerHTML = CleanHtml(html); 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} } /* === Film Roll Badge Styling(IFFI2025 countdown) === */ .film-roll-badge { position: absolute; top:82%; right: 20px; width: 230px; height: 70px; background: repeating-linear-gradient( to right, #9a2375 0px, #9a2375 18px, #6e2b8b 18px, #6e2b8b 36px ); border-top: 8px solid #9a2375; border-bottom: 8px solid #9a2375; border-radius: 8px; overflow: hidden; box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); animation: moveFilm 8s linear infinite; z-index: 10; } /* film sprocket holes */ .film-roll-badge::before, .film-roll-badge::after { content: ""; position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 10px; background: repeating-linear-gradient( to right, #9a2375 0px, #9a2375 10px, #fff 10px, #fff 20px ); left: 0; z-index: 2; } .film-roll-badge::before { top: -4px; } .film-roll-badge::after { bottom: -4px; } .film-roll-inner { position: relative; height: 100%; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; animation: flicker 2s infinite ease-in-out; } .countdown-text { font-size: 1.3rem; font-weight: 700; color: #fff; text-shadow: 0 0 6px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4), 0 0 10px #000; white-space: nowrap; } /* === Animations === */ @keyframes moveFilm { 0% { background-position: 0 0; } 100% { background-position: 120px 0; } } @keyframes flicker { 0%, 100% { opacity: 1; } 50% { opacity: 0.9; } 25% { opacity: 0.95; } 75% { opacity: 0.85; } } /* === Responsive Adjustments === */ @media (max-width: 1500px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 68%; right: 18px; /* width: 220px; */ height: 65px; font-size: 0.85rem; } .press-section { margin-top: 35px; } } @media (max-width: 992px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 52%; right: 10px; width: 200px; height: 60px; } } @media (max-width: 768px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 56%; right: 10px; width: 124px; height: 55px; } .countdown-text { font-size: 0.9rem; } } @media (max-width: 576px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 59%; right: 5px; /* width: 160px; */ height: 50px; } .countdown-text { font-size: 0.85rem; } } const festivalStart = new Date("2025-11-20T00:00:00").getTime(); const festivalEnd = new Date("2025-11-28T23:59:59").getTime(); const countdownElement = document.getElementById("countdown"); const interval = setInterval(() => { const now = new Date().getTime(); // BEFORE FESTIVAL — show days + hours left if (now = festivalStart && now el.style.width = "350px"); clearInterval(interval); } }, 1000); //

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INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION AND PROMOTION OF DURGA PUJA

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