Over 10.88 lakh rice cardholders to get Pongal gift hampers in Salem district, says Minister

Tourism Minister R. Rajendran on Thursday (January 8, 2026) said that 10.88 lakh rice cardholders in the district will receive Pongal gift hampers.

Following Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s launch of the distribution of Pongal gift hampers in Chennai for rice cardholders, the Minister inaugurated the distribution at a fair-price shop in Kannankurichi.

Addressing the reporters, the Minister said that to celebrate Pongal, the Chief Minister announced a gift hamper that includes one kg of rice, one kg of sugar, one full sugarcane, and ₹3,000 in cash to each rice cardholder and people living at special camps for the Sri Lankan Tamils. The cost of the items are: rice- ₹25, sugar- ₹48.54 and sugarcane- ₹38 and the cost of a hamper is at ₹111.54.

In Salem district, 10.88 ration card holders will receive these gift hampers worth ₹12.14 crore and ₹326.47 crore in cash. On Thursday, 200 cardholders received the gift hampers with cash and from Friday (January 9, 2026), 300 cardholders (150 in the morning and 150 in the afternoon), will receive the gift hamper. The fair price shop workers are distributing tokens to the cardholders at their houses, the Minister added.

District Collector R. Brindha Devi, Tamil Nadu Cleanliness Welfare Board chairman V. Arusamy, Deputy Mayor M. Saradha Devi, and officials also participated.

In Namakkal district, Rajya Sabha member K.R.N. Rajeshkumar distributed the gift hamper to the cardholders at Mullai Nagar in Namakkal Corporation. Officials said that in Namakkal district, 5.40 lakh ration card holders will receive ₹168.09 crore worth of gift hampers and cash.