Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi announced that no ground rent will be charged from puja committees using government land for community pujas this festive season. He extended greetings to the people for Maha Asthami. Several puja committees expressed gratitude, including Debendra Sahu, president of the Chhatra Bazaar puja committee, who highlighted that they had previously requested tax exemptions but paid around ₹24,000 in ground rent. Sahu thanked the Chief Minister for the rent-free decision and urged the administration to arrange refunds for committees that had already paid, emphasizing that it would significantly benefit them.
