West Bengal Day to be observed on June 20; Syama Prasad Mukherjee statue to be installed in Kolkata

The West Bengal government has announced that June 20 will be observed as West Bengal Day, replacing the earlier observance on Poila Boishakh. The decision was announced on Wednesday from Nabanna as part of a series of policy decisions approved by the state government following the change in administration.

State minister Dilip Ghosh said that West Bengal Day will henceforth be celebrated annually on June 20. He also announced that a statue of Syama Prasad Mukherjee will be installed in Kolkata. According to the government, a foundation-stone ceremony for the project is scheduled to take place on July 6, which marks Mukherjee’s birth anniversary.

The government stated that a suitable location for the statue is currently being identified in Kolkata. Once the site is finalised, preparations for the installation and foundation-stone ceremony will proceed. The announcement forms part of the government’s decisions concerning state commemorations and public memorial projects.

For several years, political parties in West Bengal differed on the date that should be officially observed as the state’s foundation day. The previous administration had designated Poila Boishakh as the official day of observance, while the BJP had consistently advocated June 20 as the appropriate date. The state government has now formally adopted June 20 as West Bengal Day.

The announcement was made alongside other policy measures unveiled by the government. Among them was the renaming of the Maa Canteen scheme as Maa Ahaar. The government also announced plans to expand the programme through the establishment of 500 Maa Ahaar centres across the state, where subsidised meals will continue to be provided at a cost of ₹5.