Cauvery delta farmers move Madras HC to replace sugar with jaggery in Pongal gift hampers
TIRUCHY: A group of farmers have knocked the doors of the Madras High Court seeking directions to the Tamil Nadu government to replace sugar with jaggery in the Pongal gift hamper that is set to be distributed to ration cardholders across the state during the festival of harvest.
The state government’s Pongal gift hamper comprises raw rice, sugar, sugarcane, cashews, raisins and cardamom, and a cash component distributed to eligible cardholders through fair price shops.
Swamimalai S Vimalnathan, the secretary of Tamil Nadu Cauvery farmers’ protection association, said that he has approached the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the state government to substitute sugar for jaggery in the gift hamper.
"We moved court last year to benefit sugarcane farmers and jaggery producers," Vimalnathan said, adding, “The court advised us to file a petition well in advance, granting the government sufficient time to consider the matter.
"Accordingly, we have filed a petition, which will be heard on December 19. The government should issue orders to the department concerned to procure jaggery from farmers and make this Pongal sweeter for them," he added.
It may be noted that Karur, Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Thanjavur, Madurai, Dharmapuri, Vellore, Tirupattur and Virudhunagar are the districts where jaggery production is majorly taken up in the state.
Mentioning the involvement of middlemen in the procurement of sugarcane for the gift hamper, the petitioner also sought the court to direct the government to credit the money to farmers’ accounts directly. When contacted, J Radhakrishnan, additional chief secretary to the government of Tamil Nadu and principal secretary for the civil supplies department, told TNIE that the matter involves a policy decision to be taken by the state government. "I am not the lone authority to decide on the matter. The distribution of the Pongal gift hamper and the selection of their components involve multiple departments," he said.