COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Consumer Cause (CCC), a prominent public interest litigation (PIL) group, has demanded that the State government provide the Pongal gift package to all ration card holders, including those holding ‘sugar option’ and ‘no commodity cards’.
Under the scheme, Pongal gift hampers, along with a cash assistance of Rs 3,000, are to be given to 2.22 crore rice card holders across Tamil Nadu, including Sri Lankan Tamils in rehabilitation camps, without any discrimination based on caste, religion, or other social factors.
However, concerns have been raised that a few lakh citizens holding sugar and no-commodity ration cards have been left out, as in the previous years.
Pointing out that ration card categories were introduced in 1997 purely based on the option exercised by card holders, irrespective of their economic status, under Tamil Nadu’s universal Public Distribution System, the consumer forum, in a request to Chief Minister MK Stalin, has claimed that some opted for sugar cards based on their consumption needs, while others chose no-commodity cards to avoid misuse of subsidised goods, indirectly supporting the government’s welfare objectives.
“The demand for inclusion has gained urgency as several affluent individuals, including senior bureaucrats and wealthy citizens, remain eligible for the Pongal gift simply because they hold rice ration cards. In contrast, many economically weaker sections, such as small tea shop owners and petty sweet stall operators, stand excluded in the scheme,” said K Kathirmathiyon, secretary of CCC.
Highlighting the discrepancy, stakeholders have urged the government to reconsider the eligibility criteria. “It has been our appeal to the State government for either equal treatment of all ration card holders or the introduction of clear and just eligibility norms to ensure such benefits reach the needy,” he added.