Government of West Bengal joins UN in India and UNESCO to make Durga Puja accessible
India's most recent census, in 2011, counted 26.8 million persons with disabilities, or 2.21% of the population, using eight categories of disability. The 2016 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act recognizes 21. The same census counted 104 million people age 60 or older, or 8.6% of the population, a share projected to reach 13.1% by 2031. The law requires governments to promote the participation of persons with disabilities in cultural life, a right also recognized by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which India ratified in 2007. Uneven ground, steps, crowds, low lighting and loud sound in temporary pandals are among the barriers.
The initiative began in 2025, when UN in India and UNESCO, in partnership with the Government of West Bengal, launched a comprehensive initiative to create accessible cultural spaces. This initiative introduced Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for pandal organizers, covering infrastructure, communication, emergency preparedness, and volunteer training during the Durga Puja celebrations in West Bengal. The guidelines were developed in consultation with partner organization Svayam, Anjali, SANCHAR, Sruti Disability Rights Centre and India Autism Center. They cover six areas: physical infrastructure, accessible communication, inclusive programming, emergency preparedness, volunteer training and attitudes. They were piloted at select pandals in Delhi and Kolkata in 2025 and are available in English, Bengali and Hindi. A Hindi version was launched with Delhi's chief minister at a Durga Puja society on Pandara Road.
In the New Delhi area, three events between July and September drew 18 puja committees from Delhi, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Noida. At the first, at UN House, persons with disabilities took part alongside accessibility experts. Committees were advised to adopt a phased accessibility plan, name an accessibility focal point, and work with a disability organization or accessibility expert. Another roundtable at UNESCO House in New Delhi brought together disability rights experts to discuss making accessible festivals a national norm.
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