Minister says no Pongal gift due to financial crisis
TIMES NEWS NETWORK 10.01.2025
Chennai : Chief minister M K Stalin on Thursday launched distribution of Pongal gift hampers to 2.2 crore PDS cardholders and Sri Lankan Tamils in rehabilitation camps. The move cost the exchequer ₹249 crore. Finance minister Thangam Thennarasu told the legislative assembly that govt could not extend the Pongal gift of ₹1,000 this year due to a financial crisis. The Pongal hampers, consisting of a kg of sugar, raw rice and sugarcane, will be distributed from Jan 9 to 13 at PDS outlets across the state. As a token gesture, Stalin gave away hampers to cardholders at the TUCS (Tamilnadu Urban Cooperative Society) outlet at Little Mount. “Arrangements have been made to distribute hampers before the Pongal festival,” an official release said.
The chief minister also launched the distribution of free saris and dhotis to 1.77 crore beneficiaries. Thennarasu said state govt spent ₹2,028 crore towards relief and restoration due to impact of natural disasters last year. While state govt demanded that Centre release ₹37,893 crore for relief and restoration for Chennai, Kancheepuram and southern districts, it released only the state disaster response fund of ₹276 crore. “The Centre also has not released ₹2,152 crore under the Samagra Shiksha scheme,” the minister said. He was responding to CPI MLA K Marimuthu’s request for Pongal cash. When AIADMK MLAA Govindasamy recalled demand by Stalin, while in opposition, to extend more when AIADMK distributed ₹2,500 Pongal cash and gift hamper, minister Duraimurugan intervened to say that AIADMK extended the Pongal gift during elections.
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