Free ‘pongal' package for 1.94 crore card-holders

Free ‘pongal' package will be distributed through fair price shops across the State to a total of 1.94 crore
ration card-holders. The total expenditure to be incurred on procuring articles on this score will be Rs. 80 crore, according to Commissioner of Civil Supplies K. Balachandran.
He inspected stocks of essential commodities at Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation godowns and also inspected fair price shops here on Friday and verified transactions.
Later, Mr. Balachandran told presspersons that packaging of the pongal articles would start on December 27. They would be delivered at fair price shops for distribution from January 1 to 14.
The package containing half-a-kg raw rice, half-a-kg jaggery, 100 gm green gram (broken), 10 gm cashew and five gm each of raisin and cardamom would be made available to all card-holders.
Mr. Balachandran said that to extend the validity of the existing ration cards additional sheet was being added to them. The sheets were printed in five government owned presses.
The additional sheet would enable card-holders to get their entitlements from fair price shops for the next six months to one year. The additional sheets could be obtained from the respective fair price shops by any member of the family concerned.
As for as Villupuram district was concerned, a total of 8,83,600 ration card-holders would get the pongal package.
The Commissioner also verified records at certain fair price shops near the railway junction.
Collector R. Palanisamy, District Revenue Officer N. Venkatachalam and District Supply Officer S. Shanmugham accompanied him.
Earlier, Mr. Palanisamy said in a statement that the pongal package would be distributed on rotational basis from January 1 to 6. Those who miss their turn could stake claim to the package from January 6 to 14.