Puducherry: DMK organizer and Leader of Opposition Siva has requested the government to provide a Pongal package with a prize of Rs.1,000 in Puducherry like Tamil Nadu.
In this regard, he said today: “The Puducherry Government has announced the Pongal package for every Pongal to the family card holders this year as well. Claiming to provide Pongal package worth just Rs.500 for each ration card is a big disappointment to people.
In the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu government announced that it will provide a package of Rs.1,000 along with one kg of sweet rice, one kg of sugar and sugarcane, and the distribution of tokens will be held on Jan. It will start on 3rd.
In this case, Puducherry government’s mere Rs. 500 is an eye wipe and an act of rejecting the desire of the people. Giving Rs.500 to just 3.50 lakh family card holders while implementing such a big scheme in Tamil Nadu, which has over 2 crore family cards, is a deceptive gimmick.
The NR Congress-BJP government should not deceive the Tamil people by saying that Puducherry is on the path of progress and that they are transforming it into the best Puducherry. Therefore, as in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry should be given a Pongal package including Rs.1,000, one kg of sweet rice, one kg of sugar and one sugarcane to each family card holder as soon as possible.
Similarly, the government has announced that money will be given in lieu of the ration of rice that has been given to family card holders for the past four months. It should be given before Pongal without delay. All the public have been demanding the government to provide the ration rice amount not in cash but in rice.
Recently, the public besieged the Chief Minister and insisted on the same demand. The fact that the NR Congress, which has an alliance with the ruling BJP at the centre, could not even take steps to replace the money with rice shows their inability and lack of concern for the people.
In the future, the Chief Minister should accept the public’s demand and start the scheme of providing rice through ration shops again. Similarly, the government should take steps to provide the amount of festive season vetti and saree scheme to the Scheduled Castes through Adi Dravidar Welfare Department before Pongal festival,” he said.