Distribution of Pongal gift hamper worth ₹7.02 crore to 7,39,771 rice card holders and 1,382 families at the rehabilitation camp for Sri Lankan Tamils began in the district here on Tuesday.
Minister for Housing and Urban Development S. Muthusamy, in the presence of Collector H. Krishnanunni, inaugurated the distribution at the fair price shop at Karuppannan Street in the city. He said that the hamper would have 21 grocery items, including raw rice (1kg), jaggery (1kg), cashew nut (50 gm), dry grapes (50gm), ghee (100 ml), salt (1/2kg), wheat flour (1kg), a sugarcane and a cloth bag. Card holders can receive the gift hamper from their respective ration shops till January 31 by following COVID-19 norms. He said that all PDS shops will function on January 7 and instead January 15 will be a holiday for the shops.
Officials said that coupons were distributed to card holders mentioning the date and time of distribution and the details were also on display at the ration shops. “Each day 200 card holders will be given the gift hamper at a shop”, they added.
Monitoring officers have been appointed to oversee the distribution in each taluks and card holders can contact the officials concerned if they face hardship in receiving the hamper. Zonal officers were Erode (94450-00449), Perundurai (94450-00237), Modakkurichi (94450-74580), Kodumudi (73387-20703), Gobichettipalayam (94450-00441), Nambiyur (73387-20704), Bhavani (94454-77855), Anthiyur (94454-77855), Sathyamangalam (94454-1736) and Talavadi (73387-20705). Card holders can also contact the District Supply Officer, Collectorate at 0424-2252052.
Kurinji N. Sivakumar, chairman of Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation, L. Madhubalan, Additional Collector (Development) / Project Officer, District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), K. Navamani, District Panchayat chairperson and other officials were present.