Tamil Nadu Government Unveils Special Pongal Bonus for Employees and Educators

Chennai, Jan 2 (NationPress) The Tamil Nadu government has revealed a special Pongal bonus for its employees, teachers, pensioners, and family pensioners, honoring Pongal, the state's most important festival.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's administration has earmarked Rs 163.81 crore for this program as a gesture of gratitude for the unwavering efforts of government employees and teachers in executing welfare initiatives.

The government's announcement specifies that employees and teachers in the C and D groups will receive a maximum bonus of Rs 3,000.

Employees on consolidated pay, those receiving special temporary allowances, and individuals who have worked full-time or part-time for at least 240 days in the 2023-24 fiscal year will be entitled to 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 benefit from a Pongal gift of Rs 500.

Pongal, which will be celebrated on January 15 this year, is a time of festivity and tradition in Tamil Nadu.

As part of the celebrations, the state government will distribute gift hampers to family cardholders, which will include free dhotis, sarees, and cash.

This year's Pongal gift will consist of Rs 1,000 in cash and a bundle of 21 essential items, including rice, sugar, tamarind, and sugarcane.

This initiative aims to alleviate the financial strain on families, allowing them to celebrate without incurring extra costs.

In the previous year, the gift hamper included one kg of brown rice, one kg of sugar, a complete sugarcane, and Rs 1,000 in cash.

To ensure prompt delivery, the government will start distributing hampers five days ahead of Pongal.

The government is exploring direct bank transfers for the cash portion to guarantee that family heads receive the funds directly in their active bank accounts.

Should bank transfers encounter difficulties, funds will be dispensed through ration shops, similar to previous years.

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

The Tamil Nadu government has also commissioned the creation 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 purchasing yarn and compensating weavers involved in this project.

This year, cotton yarn will be utilized for production, while polyester yarn will be introduced in the 2025-26 cycle.

This initiative will benefit 63,000 power looms throughout 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.