New Delhi: The biggest festival of Bihar, which is well-known as Chhath Puja, this festival has generated trade of more than Rs 50,000 crore nationwide, and this date came to know from Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) recently. According to the CAIT assessment, conducted after this festival, it has revealed that over 10 crore people across India have participated in Chhath Puja celebrations. And Bihar alone has witnessed business activity worth about Rs 15,000 crore, with Delhi with Rs 8,000 crore and Jharkhand with Rs 5,000 crore.
These findings are part of CAIT’s ongoing research on India’s Sanatan Economy, which studies the spending patterns during the major festivals and wedding seasons. CAIT Secretary General and Member of Parliament Praveen Khandelwal has stated that Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh, and particularly the Purvanchal region, remained the main centres of the Chhath Puja celebrations, where the large congregations gathered along with the rivers and ponds.
Further, Delhi and the NCR region also saw a major business boom due to the large Purvanchali population. The Delhi government constructed around 1,500 ghats and spent significantly on infrastructure, sanitation, and security arrangements. Kahndelwal also added that other states, including West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, have also reported substantial economic activity. In the metros and non-traditional states like Odisha, Karnataka, and Telangana, local markets saw rapid sales due to the presence of migrant communities who have celebrated Chhath Puja with great enthusiasm.
By CAIT, the main items sold during this festival are: bananas, sugarcane, coconuts, rice, grains, sweets such as thekua and laddoos, and essential puja materials like the baskets, diyas, flowers, and clay utensils. There was also a surge in demand for the services related to the ghat construction, lighting, sanitation, and boat rides. Khandelwal also added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to promote the Swadeshi products and the recent GST 2.0 rate reduction can play a crucial role in driving this festive trade. Those local markets across India have organised Swadeshi Chhath campaigns to promote traditional artisans, bamboo basket makers, and jaggery producers, boosting sales of locally made goods. He also noted that the momentum from the Prime Minister’s GST saving festival, which earlier spurred Diwali sales, continued during the Chhath Puja; the twin festivals helped lift overall consumer demand across the sectors.
