JOIN USOrder inquiry into Pongal gift hamper procurement: AIADMK
Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK on Tuesday came under fire from the principal opposition party, AIADMK, for “looting public money” under the pretext of Pongal gift hampers containing 21 grocery items which demanded an inquiry into the “discrepancies” and “irregularities” in the scheme.
Party coordinator O Panneerselvam and joint coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami launched a frontal attack on the DMK government accusing it of procuring the grocery items from traders in North India for a “huge amount of commission.”
The leaders also criticised the DMK dispensation for ignoring traders from Tamil Nadu and highlighted that people have complained about the “poor quality” of the grocery items distributed to them as part of the Pongal gift hamper.
In a statement, Panneerselvam questioned the need for procuring the products from traders in North India while it opposes Hindi at the drop of a hat. “The Chief Minister should order a detailed inquiry into the discrepancies and irregularities in procuring the items and distribution of the Pongal gift hampers,” Panneerselvam said.
Speaking to reporters in his native district of Salem, Palaniswami alleged that the hampers were “over-priced” and that the quality of the cloth bag distributed by the government through ration shops were poor. He also alleged that middlemen procured sugarcane from farmers at a very low rate than the one prescribed by the government.
“Not just the quality of the products in the gift hamper, not everyone is getting all 21 products. The government wanted huge commission and that is the reason they procured these items from traders in north India,” he said.
“Corruption, Commission, Collection seems to be the motto of the government,” he alleged. However, Food Minister R Sakkarapani dismissed the allegations levelled by AIADMK leaders saying the distribution of Pongal gift hampers were smooth and there were no irregularities.
The allegation by the AIADMK comes two days after Chief Minister M K Stalin directed ministers, district collectors, MPs, and MLAs to ensure that the state government’s Pongal gift hampers are distributed to ration cardholders with “quality products.”
The gift hampers are being provided to 2.15 crore ration cardholders at a cost of Rs 1,297 crore on the occasion of Pongal, which will be celebrated from January 13 to January 16 this year.
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 gm of ghee produced by state-owned Aavin, to 2.15 crore ration cardholders.
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 part from the hamper.
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