Over the curse of the last few years, the jatra industry of Bangla is well on its way out of intensive care. Thanks to the special initiative of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the glory days are gradually on their way back.
From 2012, the Bangla Government has been making serious efforts to revive the stature of everyone involved with jatra.
An annual Jatra Festival is held now, along with similar festival in various districts, all of which are organised by the State Government. More and more jatra artistes are getting registered with the government.
The annual remuneration of jatra artistes, provided by the government, has also increased. In 2012, it was Rs 6,000, now it is Rs 9,000. The government also provides some more types of grants.
The annual Bina Dasgupta Memorial Award and Shantigopal-O-Tapan Kumar Award were instituted by the Trinamool Congress Government. The former, an award for lifetime excellence in jatra craft, is being given since 2013 while the latter is being given since 2017.
Besides, two legends, Makhanlal Natta and Chapal Bhaduri, were bestowed the Bangabibhushan (in 2014) and the Banga Bhushan (in 2017), respectively – awards instituted by the Trinamool Congress Government.