West Bengal govt joins PM Modi birthday celebrations, launches Vishwakarma Scheme

The West Bengal government lit one lakh diyas across Kolkata and observed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday as 'Annapurna Divas', marking a significant shift in the state's engagement with central government programmes.

The state administration participated in the Prime Minister's birthday celebrations on Thursday (September 17, 2026) and formally launched the PM Vishwakarma Scheme in West Bengal for the first time. This is the first time West Bengal has joined the Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana scheme launched by the Union government.

Housing scheme announcement and Vishwakarma Yojana launch

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced during the celebrations that the Prime Minister has prepared a list of 50 lakh names in West Bengal for whom houses will be constructed under the Awas Yojana, with women designated as the owners of these houses. "PM Modi said that they have made a list of 50 lakh names in West Bengal for whom houses will be made under the Awas Yojana, women will be made the owners of these houses," Mr. Adhikari said in his address.

The Vishwakarma Yojana provides support to traditional artisans and craftspeople who work with their hands. Mr. Adhikari revealed that out of 7,70,000 earlier enrollments in the state, 2,02,000 are currently active. "For the time being we are bringing a bill at the Assembly to delegate some of the power to Pachayat Secretaries to make the Vishwakarma Bill a success," he said. The Chief Minister added that the previous government did not allow for the central government's schemes to be implemented in West Bengal.

Diya lighting events and statue unveiling

One of the biggest diya lighting events was organised in Kolkata on the ghats of Ganga to mark the occasion. Mr. Adhikari participated in the diya lighting event at Baje Kadamtala Ghat. At another Ganga ghat, MSME Union Minister Jiten Ram Manjhi lit diyas with 400 beneficiaries of the Vishwakarma Yojana.

State Minister Dilip Ghosh said at least 2 crore diyas will be lit across West Bengal. "A diya of blessings will be lit in every household for Modi ji. That is why we are distributing the diyas for every home," he said. Such programmes were organised across every district in the State.

BJP State president Samik Bhattacharya unveiled the wax statue of Mr. Modi at the party's Salt Lake office. The life-size statue was made and gifted to them by artist Susanta Roy. A statue of the Prime Minister was also unveiled at the Bharatiya Janata Party office in the capital city. Later several party leaders along with Mr. Bhattacharya went to the Dakshineswar Kali Temple to offer prayers for the PM's birthday.

State-wide celebrations

The Prime Minister's birthday was also celebrated at the Kalighat Temple, a place popular with Trinamool chairperson Mamata Banerjee. Various socio-cultural programs, blood donation camps, and functions at schools were also organised on Thursday (September 17, 2026) to mark the occasion.

Source: The Hindu