Chennai: In a major election year festive announcement ahead of Pongal, the M K Stalin Government in Tamil Nadu on Sunday said it would to provide a cash component of ₹3,000 as gift to nearly 2.23 crore rice ration card holders in the State and to families residing in Sri Lankan Tamil rehabilitation camps.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly elections is due this summer.
The cash component will be provided in addition to the Pongal gift hamper that the State government had already announced earlier. The hamper includes one kilogram of raw rice, one kilogram of sugar and one full-length sugarcane, and will be distributed through Fair Price Shops across Tamil Nadu.
According to an official press release, the total expenditure towards the Pongal gift hamper and the cash assistance is estimated at ₹6,936.17 crore.
Pongal, one of the most important festivals of Tamils, is traditionally celebrated as a thanksgiving to nature, farmers and cattle for sustaining agriculture and food production. The State government said the assistance was intended to help families celebrate the festival in a “special and meaningful manner”.
Officials said that all Pongal gift items have already been dispatched to all districts. The Chief Minister has instructed officials to ensure that the cash assistance, gift hampers and tokens are distributed before Pongal through all Fair Price Shops, and that necessary logistical arrangements are put in place to avoid inconvenience to the public.
