Consumer body in Coimbatore seeks inclusion of sugar, no-commodity ration card holders in Pongal gift scheme

Coimbatore Consumer Cause (CCC) has urged the Tamil Nadu government to extend the Pongal gift hamper and ₹3,000 cash assistance to sugar option and no-commodity ration card holders, stating that their exclusion from the scheme is discriminatory.

In a representation to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Coimbatore Consumer Cause said the Pongal gift scheme announced for 2026 would cover over 2.22 crore rice ration card holders, including families in Sri Lankan Tamil rehabilitation camps, but exclude a few lakh card holders who had opted for sugar or no-commodity cards.

K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of CCC pointed out that ration card categories were chosen by card holders in 1997 under the Universal Public Distribution System and were not linked to income. The choice, it said, was optional, with some citizens opting for sugar or no-commodity cards to avoid subsidised commodities and prevent misuse.

The organisation said using the ration card option as an eligibility criterion was unjust, noting that several affluent individuals, including senior officials, remained eligible for the Pongal gift as rice card holders, while small tea shop owners and petty sweet stall operators who opted for sugar cards for practical reasons were excluded.

It said that when the government had decided to extend the Pongal gift to over 96% of ration card holders, including refugees, there was no justification for denying the benefit to a section of Tamil Nadu citizens. While opposing extension of benefits to affluent sections, the body said the present criteria were flawed.

It urged the government to either extend the Pongal gift uniformly to all ration card holders or prescribe clear eligibility norms to ensure that assistance reaches the needy.