In a move aimed at making the Pongal harvest festival more inclusive, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has announced a Rs 3,000 cash gift for over 2 crore rice ration card holders in the state. The announcement, made on Sunday, January 4, 2026, comes ahead of the Assembly elections and is intended to help families celebrate the festival in a meaningful way.
The cash assistance will be provided to all rice ration card holders, including families residing in Sri Lankan Tamil rehabilitation camps. According to official sources, the state has approximately 2.23 crore rice ration card holders and nearly 19,000 families living in rehabilitation camps. However, about 3.8 lakh sugar-only and no-commodity ration cards will not be eligible for the cash component.
In addition to the cash gift, beneficiaries will also receive a Pongal gift hamper containing one kilogram of raw rice, one kilogram of sugar, and a full-length sugarcane. Furthermore, 1.76 crore ration cardholders will be provided with free dhotis and sarees. The government has already dispatched all Pongal gift hampers and clothing items to districts across Tamil Nadu. The cash assistance, gift hampers, and token items will be distributed through fair price shops ahead of the festival.
The total expenditure for the Pongal gift scheme, including the cash assistance, gift hampers, and clothing, is estimated at Rs 6,936.17 crore. Chief Minister Stalin has directed officials to ensure that all arrangements are completed well in advance of the festival, so that beneficiaries can receive the assistance on time.
The Rs 3,000 assistance marks the highest cash support extended during the Pongal festival since its introduction in 2014, when Rs 100 was provided. Ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections, the then AIADMK government had distributed Rs 2,500 per ration card.
The government said that the assistance was intended to help families celebrate the festival in a "special and meaningful manner". According to an official government statement, Pongal symbolizes humanity's deep connection with nature, agriculture, and collective well-being. The initiative is intended to ensure that every eligible household can celebrate Pongal with dignity and joy.
A senior official from the Food department stated that the government had scrutinized the linkage of ration cards with bank accounts two years ago and found that a significant number were not linked. Therefore, the cash assistance will be distributed physically through ration shop employees.
