Tamil Nadu’s Honorable Chief Minister’s Announcements for Pongal Festival 2025

As part of the celebrations for Tamil Nadu’s traditional festival, Pongal, the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru. M.K. Stalin, has announced measures for rice distribution under the special Pongal gift scheme. These initiatives aim to benefit ration cardholders by providing rice without any restrictions and ensuring the distribution of essential commodities through fair-price shops.

Key Highlights of the Announcements:

1. Rice Distribution for Ration Cardholders:
   • Under the Pongal gift scheme, rice will be distributed without restrictions to eligible ration cardholders through the Public Distribution System.
2. Supervised Quality Control:
   • The Hon’ble Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Thiru. R. Sakkarapani, held a review meeting with officials to ensure the movement of high-quality rice and sugar through the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation.
   • Instructions were given to remove impurities from sugarcane and deliver clean rice to ration cardholders. Coordination with cooperative societies and corporation officials was also emphasized.
3. Fair Distribution and Stock Monitoring:
   • Adequate stock of essential commodities will be ensured across fair-price shops. Any new applications for family ration cards will be processed promptly, and new ration shops will be opened in underserved areas.
4. Prevention of Smuggling:
   • Officials were instructed to curb smuggling of essential commodities and maintain vigilance, including collaborative meetings with officials from bordering states.
5. New Storage Facilities:
   • The Minister instructed the Tamil Nadu Warehousing Corporation to identify suitable lands for constructing additional warehouses.
6. Participation and Supervision:
   • The review meeting included participation from senior officials, including Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (Additional Chief Secretary), Thiru. A. Anantharaj (Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation), and other district-level officials, ensuring smooth implementation of the Pongal gift scheme.

This initiative by the Tamil Nadu government underscores its commitment to ensuring quality and timely delivery of essential commodities to the people.

Issued by: Director, Department of Information and Public Relations, Chennai-9