TN govt announces special Pongal bonus for employees, teachers

Chennai, Jan 2 The Tamil Nadu government has announced a special Pongal bonus for its employees, teachers, pensioners, and family pensioners, celebrating Pongal, the state's most significant festival.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's administration has allocated Rs 163.81 crore for this initiative as a token of appreciation for the tireless work of government employees and teachers in implementing welfare schemes.

According to the government's statement, employees and teachers in the C and D groups will receive a maximum bonus of Rs 3,000.

Employees on consolidated pay, special temporary allowances, and those who have worked full-time or part-time for at least 240 days in the 2023-24 fiscal year will get a special bonus of Rs 1,000.

Pensioners in the C and D groups, family pensioners, former village administrative officers, and other individual pensioners will receive Rs 500 as a Pongal gift.

Pongal, scheduled for January 15 this year, is a time of celebration and tradition in Tamil Nadu.

As part of the festivities, the state government provides gift hampers to family cardholders, including free dhotis, sarees, and cash.

This year's Pongal gift includes Rs 1,000 in cash and a package of 21 essential items, such as rice, sugar, tamarind, and sugarcane.

This initiative is designed to ease the financial burden on families, enabling them to celebrate without additional expenses.

Last year, the gift hamper consisted of one kg of brown rice, one kg of sugar, a whole sugarcane, and Rs 1,000 in cash.

To ensure timely delivery, the government will begin distributing hampers five days before Pongal.

The government is considering direct bank transfers for the cash component to ensure that family heads receive the amount directly in their active bank accounts.

If bank transfers face challenges, funds will be distributed through ration shops, as in previous years.

To avoid overcrowding, special tokens will be issued to ration cardholders.

The Tamil Nadu government has also commissioned the production of 1.77 crore dhotis and an equal number of sarees for the 2025 Pongal celebrations.

The Handlooms, Handicrafts, Textiles, and Khadi Department has allocated Rs 100 crore for procuring yarn and paying wages to weavers involved in this project.

This year, cotton yarn will be used for production, with polyester yarn being introduced in the 2025-26 cycle.

The initiative will benefit 63,000 power looms across the state.

Compared to last year's production of nearly one crore dhotis and 1.24 crore sarees, this year has seen an increase of 77 lakh dhotis and 53 lakh sarees.

These garments will be distributed to ration cardholders and beneficiaries under the Old Age Pension Scheme.

Source: IANS