News Tamil Nadu

Missing items and substandard products in DMK’s Pongal gift package; worms and insects found

January 7, 2022
The Commune

For Pongal this year, the DMK government in Tamil Nadu is providing all rice card holders and family card holders, a gift package which consists of a total of 2o food items. According to the Government Order (GO) released on December 20, the 20 items on the list are rice, jaggery, cashew, alfalfa, grapes, cardamom, yellow dal, ghee, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, mustard, cumin, salt, pepper, tamarind, lentils, semolina, wheat, along with a yellow cloth bag or ‘Manja Pai’.

Ration shops have started distributing these gift packets and there are a lot of criticisms about the quality of the products provided by the government. For example, locals and residents from Kannirajapuram Fair Price Shops in Ramanathapuram have complained that they have received only 18 items in their package and that some of them have worms and other insects in them.

There have also been complaints that the quality of the food products given are very very low. An older lady from Ramanathapuram has said that the quality of the jaggery is very poor and that the wheat packets had worms in them. The public who are supposed to benefitting from this scheme from other areas have also complained about the quality of these products, and these videos are being shared across social media.

In another case, a dead lizard was found in the tamarind packet given as part of the gift.

Today, opposition leader Edappadi K Palanisamy, showed a few of these videos during a press meet that happened outside the assembly. “This is how the DMK is giving pongal packages,” he said referring to complaints shared by local who have received poor quality products. “The DMK also promised to purchase sugarcane from the farmers directly for ₹33. But the Sugarcanes were procured at the rate of ₹14-20, per sugarcane. The rest of the money has been siphoned off by the party cadres. They have procured it from Tamil Nadu for, Collection, Commission, Corruption,” the Ex-Chief Minister added.

Puthiya Tamilagam leader, Dr. Krishnaswamy said, “There have been allegations that the Pongal items provided by the Tamil Nadu government are substandard. A White Paper has to be released on details regarding where these products were purchased and at what market price.”

It is to be noted that, during the previous AIADMK regime, ₹2500, a Pongal gift package along with Dhotis and Sarees were given. However, this government is only providing a ‘Manja Pai’ and 20 other  food items.

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