kolkata: The 3rd edition of 'Utkarshini Sanman', an initiative by state Women and Child Development and Social Welfare minister Shashi Panja was unveiled on Friday to motivate and encourage the small and medium budget Puja committees of the city who manage to spread a message to the society through pandals.
"There are some small budget Pujas, for which the organisers work hard to churn out something unique and innovative. I feel they should be acknowledged. So, this initiative has been conceived," Panja said. This year, awards will be given in as many as 23 categories and the closing date for entries is October 6.
The team of judges will visit the different Puja pandals and the award will be given after the festival.
Panja's daughter Pooja, a social activist and one of the organisers of Utkarshini Sanman, was present at the inaugural event at Sobhabazar Natmandir. "Through this initiative, we will be able to spread little joy among few Puja organisers so that they work better in the coming years as well," Pooja said.