Chennai: Marking the launch of ‘Pongal’ gift distribution scheme across the State, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday gave away the harvest festival hampers to beneficiaries here, which includes Rs 1,000 cash assistance.
The gift pack, besides the cash component, comprises raw rice and sugar (one kilo each), a full piece of sugarcane in addition to a dhothi and a saree to all ‘rice’ category family card holders and inmates of Rehabilitation Camps for Sri Lankan Tamils (refugees).
Stalin had announced that the festival gift would be distributed to 2,19,33,342 families at a cost of Rs 2,429.05 crore. In order to implement the free dhoti and saree distribution scheme for Pongal, Rs 487.92 crore was set apart.
The Chief Minister, marking the State-wide launch, distributed the gift packs to people at a fair price shop here. To avoid crowding, tokens specifying the date and time to receive the hamper have been distributed to beneficiaries.
State Ministers including K N Nehru (Municipal Administration), M R K Panneerselvam (Agriculture and Farmers Welfare), K Ponmudi (Higher Education) and top officials took part.
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