As many as 2.15 crore families in Tamil Nadu will receive a gift hamper from the Tamil Nadu government on the occasion of the Pongal festival containing rice, ghee, and other grocery items. The distribution of the gift hamper was launched by Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday at the Secretariat by handing over the goodies to 10 families.
Pongal, the harvest festival, will be celebrated on January 14 this year and the government decided to provide a gift hamper with 21 grocery items, including 100 grams of ghee produced by state-owned Aavin, to 2.15 crore ration cardholders.
The gift hampers which includes different varieties of dal, and sugarcane, an integral part of Pongal festivities, will be distributed to all eligible families before the festival begins. Tokens for distribution of the hampers have been issued.
The AIADMK government had in 2019 and 2021 added a cash gift along with the hampers distributed for Pongal. However, the DMK government decided to drop the cash from the hamper.
The grocery items are packed inside a cloth bag that says ‘Tamizhar Thirunaal Vaazthukkal’ (Tamil festival greetings) and does not contain the name 'Pongal'. Many scholars describe Pongal as the festival of Tamils.
In a tweet, Stalin said he was happy to launch the distribution of the Pongal gift hamper. “We are one race – Tamils. Pongal is the festival of Tamils during which we thank the sun and cattle,” he said.
Meanwhile, the government announced that the sugarcane provided with the gift hampers will be procured directly from farmers who have cultivated sugarcane.
At a separate function, the Chief Minister distributed a new set of clothes to priests of temples under the Hindu, Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) department and uniforms to people working in the temples.
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