Chennai | Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday announced Rs 3,000 cash gift for harvest festival 'Pongal' to rice category ration card holders and to all families that reside in rehabilitation camps for Sri Lankan Tamils.
Ahead of Pongal, a gift hamper comprising one kilo each of rice and sugar and one sugarcane in addition to cash gift of Rs 3,000 (to each family that has a rice-card) and a dhoti and a saree would be distributed through PDS outlets to beneficiaries, the chief minister announced.
The cash gift and festival hamper were aimed at facilitating a grand celebration of Pongal, a festival celebrated by the Tamil people since times immemorial, the government said in an official release.
Days ago, the government had announced that the Pongal gift hamper distribution would benefit over 2.22 crore rice-card holders and the inmates of rehabilitation camps for Sri Lankan Tamils.
The Pongal gift hamper and cash gift would together entail an expenditure of approximately, Rs 6,936.17 crore, according the statement added.
The harvest festival cash assistance provided by the state government to the people has risen to Rs 3,000 per family now, which is the highest, from a humble Rs 100 during the 2011-16 AIADMK regime.
The cash dole for Pongal was increased to Rs 1,000 during the 2016-2021 AIADMK regime. Also, there had been no cash assistance in some years.
The amount was hiked to Rs 2,500 in the year 2021 when Edappadi K Palaniswami was the chief minister and at that time, it was the highest payout for the festival. The year 2021 was an election year like now.
