Only govt’s plain tokens will be valid for Pongal gift: State

Chennai

Recording the submission that the circular would be issued by Thursday evening, a vacation bench comprising Justice R Mahadevan and Justice Anita Sumanth permitted DMK’s counsel P Wilson to make a mention if the circular is not issued at the said date for getting orders from the court.

While the DMK showed photos and videos to the judges about tokens printed with photographs of AIADMK Ministers making it seem as if they are providing the Pongal gift and not the state, Advocate General produced plain tokens that are being issued by the Civil Supplies Department. He said these tokens alone will be entertained at the ration shops and the tokens cited by the DMK, ought to have been put by some enthusiastic AIADMK volunteer.

The DMK had contended that it does not oppose the Pongal gift as it is necessary to support the public in the prevailing pandemic situation, but is opposed to this unscrupulous design of deceiving the people by way of tokens projecting as if the Pongal gift is being given by the AIADMK party and not the state government.

Plea seeking 25 pc more for diff abled admitted

The Madras High Court also admitted a plea moved by the Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC) seeking 25 per cent more for the differently abled in government’s decision to pay cash gift of Rs 2,500 to rice card holders during Pongal. The vacation bench posted the plea for further hearing on January 5 after directing the government to file its counter.