Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit and state Chief Minister K Palaniswami, among other leaders, Monday extended greetings to the people on the eve of the harvest festival of Pongal.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "On the auspicious occasion of Pongal, best wishes to my sisters and brothers of Tamil Nadu. I pray that this day furthers the spirit of joy and prosperity in our society. We also salute our farmers, who work hard to feed the nation."

Asking people to take pride in their tradition and culture, the Governor said, "Keep the banner of the Tamil way of life flying high for all times to come."

"On the auspicious occasion of Pongal, I convey my heartiest greetings and best wishes to the people of Tamil Nadu," he said.

Chief Minister Palaniswami mentioned about the state government's Pongal gift of Rs 1,000 to all ration cardholders besides listing out listed out various initiatives taken for the welfare of the farmers.

"Let this Pongal bring in prosperity and wellness in your lives," he said.

DMK president M K Stalin, CPI(M) leader K Balakrishnan and state BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan also extended their greetings.

On January 5, the state government had launched a scheme of providing Rs 1,000 to all ration cardholders on the occasion of Pongal festival, being celebrated on January 15.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)