CHENNAI: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday announced that a gift hamper containing one kg raw rice, one kg sugar, two feet of sugarcane piece and Rs 100 in cash to family card holders who receive rice through Public Distribution System, Lankan Tamil refugees in camps and police card holders.
In all, 1.91 crore families would be benefitted by this measure and it would cost an additional expenditure of Rs 318 crore to the State Exchequer.
In a statement here, the Chief Minister said the gift hamper would help the poor and downtrodden to celebrate the Tamils’ traditional festival of Pongal happily. The gift hampers would be distributed to the beneficiaries ahead of Pongal festival.
She said Pongal festival had been a special occasion for thanking the Almighty and the cattle stock which play a key role in agriculture and the festival was also hailed as Harvest Festival in Tamil culture.
The Pongal gift hamper would help the grass-root level people in celebrating this festival happily.
Rs 48 cr allocated for relief works
MP A Navaneethakrishnan, Dy Speaker of Lok Sabha M Thamiburai and Parliamentary party leader P Venugopal hand over MPs’ letters to CM J Jayalalithaa
AIADMK MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have allocated Rs 1 crore each from their Constituency Development Fund towards flood relief works