CHENNAI: The State government on Tuesday announced that the distribution of Pongal gift packs will commence on January 9.

This initiative is part of the State's efforts to celebrate the Tamil festival of Thai Pongal, which is a significant event in the state's cultural calendar.

As part of this initiative, all rice family card holders and families living in Sri Lankan Tamil rehabilitation camps will receive a special gift pack, consisting of one kilo of raw rice, one kilo of sugar, and one full-length sugarcane.

To ensure the seamless distribution of the gift packs, the state Cooperation department has issued instructions to all fair price shops to remain operational on holidays.

This strategic move is aimed at preventing any disruptions in the distribution process and ensuring that all eligible beneficiaries receive their gift packs within the stipulated time frame.

To compensate for the working days lost on January 3 and 10, the Cooperation Department has declared January 15 (Wednesday) and January 20 (Saturday) as holidays for fair price shops.

This will enable the shops to make up for the lost time and ensure that the distribution of Pongal gift packs is completed efficiently.

To ensure fair procurement practices of sugarcane, the Cooperation Department has mandated that sugarcane be purchased directly from district farmers through the Agricultural Producers Cooperative Society, eliminating intermediaries and traders from the process.

It has also instructed the sugarcane procurement committees to purchase sugarcane at a maximum price of Rs 35 per piece.