The Tamil Nadu government has announced a special Pongal bonus for its employees, teachers, pensioners, and family pensioners with an allocated budget of Rs 163.81 crore. The Pongal festival falls on January 15.
According to the state government's statement, employees and teachers in the groups C and D 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 (VAO), and other individual pensioners will receive Rs 500 as a Pongal gift.
The state government will also be distributing Pongal gifts including Rs 1,000 in cash and a package of 21 essential items, such as rice, sugar, tamarind, and sugarcane to ration card holders. Allocation of special tokens for the Pongal gifts are currently underway.
The state 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.
The Tamil Nadu government has also commissioned the production of 1.77 crore veshtis 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 expected to be 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 veshtis and 1.24 crore sarees, this year has seen an increase of 77 lakh veshtis and 53 lakh sarees.