Ahead of 2026 polls, Puducherry approves Rs 3,000 Pongal grant for ration card holders

(Representative Image)

The Puducherry Lieutenant Governor on Tuesday approved a Pongal cash grant of Rs 3,000 for all ration card holders in the Union Territory, a move that comes months ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections expected in April–May 2026.

With Puducherry heading into Assembly elections later this year, the approval of the Pongal grant is being seen as a politically significant welfare measure aimed at reaching households across the Union Territory during the festive season.

The announcement follows a similar initiative in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, where Chief Minister M K Stalin launched the distribution of a Rs 3,000 Pongal cash gift along with a special festive package for rice category ration cardholders.

In Tamil Nadu, the scheme marks the simultaneous distribution of cash and gift hampers through fair price shops across the state, aimed at helping families lavishly celebrate the mid-January harvest festival.

Launching the programme on Thursday, Chief Minister Stalin personally handed over Rs 3,000 in cash along with one kg of raw rice, one kg of sugar, a sugarcane, a dhoti and a saree to select beneficiaries at a fair price outlet in Alandur.

The Pongal gift package in Tamil Nadu covers 2.22 crore rice category ration cardholders, in addition to families residing in Sri Lankan rehabilitation camps across the state.

The state government has earmarked Rs 6,936 crore exclusively for the cash component of the scheme, while an additional Rs 248.66 crore has been allocated for procuring and distributing the gift items.

*With PTI inputs