CHENNAI: District Collectors are responsible for Pongal gift packages and cash to reach people. The Tamil Nadu Government has directed that the respective District Collectors should closely monitor and ensure that Pongal gift packages and cash reach all the people. In this regard, the Government of Tamil Nadu has said in the order issued yesterday that: The Government of Tamil Nadu has ordered to give 1 kg of sweet rice, 1 kg of sugar and Rs.1000 cash along with whole sugarcane in the ration shops for Pongal. The government has laid down guidelines for procurement of sugarcane. According to this, a maximum of 33 rupees should be spent for 1 sugarcane including transportation cost.
(Including cutting wages, amount given to farmers, loading and unloading cost) Apart from that only pannier sugarcane should be procured. The height of the cane procured should not be less than about 6 feet. The cane offered to the public should be of more than average thickness and not thin. Diseased cane should not be procured. Priority should be given to procurement of sugarcane grown in respective districts. There should be no room for any complaints from the farmers.
To procure sugarcane, the respective District Collector, Cooperative Department, Agriculture Department should form committees and carry out the work. As regards Chennai, the additional registrar of Chennai zone should set up the necessary committees for the procurement of sugarcane and carry out the work. Preference should be given to small, marginal, Adi Dravidian and tribal farmers during procurement. The entire purchase should not be made from a single farmer in a village. Instead, procurement should be done based on the quality of sugarcane spread throughout the village.
There should be no room for complaints. The price should not be fixed below the purchase price paid to the farmers in the previous year under any circumstances. While procurement of sugarcane should be done directly from the respective district farmers only through the Agricultural Producers Cooperative Marketing Society. No middlemen should be allowed. Distribution of sugarcane and Pongal gift package should start from 9th January 2023. Sugarcane should be procured in stages according to the number of cards on which gift package is given on which day. Don’t buy all sugarcane in advance. If you do, there is a chance that the cane will dry up.
It will lead to unnecessary complaints. The sugarcane procured should be kept safe till it is delivered to the family cardholders. Whole sugarcane should be given to the family card holders without cutting the tip of the sugarcane. District Collectors are responsible for Pongal gift package and cash to reach the people. The respective District Collectors should keep a close watch and ensure that Pongal gift packages and cash reach all the people. Collectors should ensure that the tamarind and whole sugarcane are of full quality. Pongal gifts should not be returned to eligible beneficiaries under any circumstances. The Tamil Nadu government has ordered this.