Guwahati/IBNS: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday at a ceremony held at Janata Bhawan in Guwahati formally granted one-time financial assistance of Rs 10,000 each to 6,124 Namghoriyas and 2,148 Purohits (priests) of the state as part of the Assam government's promise of financial support to Covid-hit population of the state.

Owing to the huge number of beneficiaries of the initiative, 10 Purohits and 10 Namghoriyas were symbolically handed over cheques of Rs 10,000 each at Janata Bhawan.

The rest of the beneficiaries were provided with the amount through bank transfer to their respective accounts.

Speaking at the event, Sarma said this initiative has been taken by the government owing to the difficulties the Purohits and the Namghoriyas had to face during the Covid peak when temples and monasteries were shut down to prevent the spread of the dreaded virus among the state's population.

The Assam Chief Minister said the neo-Vaishnavite monasteries and temples don't merely play spiritual and religious roles in the day-to-day lives of the people of Assam but also have cultural significance.

Citing the example of Ojapali's performance during Durga Puja, the Assam Chief Minister said there was a very thin line of differentiation between religious rituals and cultural observances in Assam.

He added that Assamese culture and identity are incomplete without "Naam Kirtan", though theoretically, it can be a religious ritual.

The Assam Chief Minister added that on Jan 1, 2023, the government in a function to be held at Shrimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra Auditorium would formally accept the responsibility of preserving the residence of Pratima Pandey Baruah as a heritage structure from her family members.