CM hikes nazrana of deities by 5%

Our Correspondent

KULLU, October 14

The world famous week-long Kullu Dasehra concluded with much fanfare and enthusiasm here today. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur presided over the closing ceremony at the Kala Kendra. Forest and Transport Minister Govind Singh Thakur, who is the Chairman of Kullu Dasehra Festival Committee, honoured the Chief Minister.

Thakur announced to increase the nazrana (honorarium) paid to the local deities participating in the Kullu Dasehra by 5 per cent and distance allowance by 25 per cent. 

He also announced a 15 per cent increase in the remuneration of Bajantris, who accompany the deities. 

He said that the Kullu Dasehra had been playing a major role in the preservation and promotion of the rich culture of the state. “The festival has a historic, cultural and religious background. It is also famous as a tourism and commercial festival in which people from different parts of the country and abroad participate with enthusiasm,” he added.

“It is vital that collective efforts be made to make the state and the country polythene bag free. The state government has launched an innovative policy to buy back polythene bags from individuals and municipalities at the rate of Rs 75 per kilogram. This will not only make the state polythene bag free but also save the earth from its environmental hazards,” he added.

The Chief Minister said that the possibility of providing roof over the audience space at Lal Chand Prarthi Kala Kendra would be explored so that events being organised there could be held uninterruptedly even in the event of rainfall or bad weather. 

He released the Kullu Dasehra souvenir on the occasion and gave away prizes to the winners of the state and district-level folk dance competitions organised by the Language and Culture Department. 

Earlier, he inaugurated the newly constructed building of the Press Bhawan at Dhalpur. Later, thousands of devotees pulled the wooden chariot (rath) of Lord Raghunath from the camp temple at the Dhalpur ground to the Lanka Bekar Maidan to perform the “Lanka Dahan” ceremony. Eight animals were sacrificed to signify the end of Ravana and his associates. Now, after the orders of the High Court prohibiting animal sacrifice since 2014, the ceremony is carried out by sacrificing a coconut. The wooden chariot was then pulled back to the Rath Maidan, accompanied by a large number of deities.