Distribution of free dhotis, sarees for Pongal to start from December 31: Minister

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Minister for Handlooms and Textiles R. Gandhi on Thursday said the distribution of free dhotis and sarees to beneficiaries for Pongal festival will commence on December 31.

He was talking to journalists after participating in the bhoomi puja for district sports complex here, adding that the distribution process will be completed before January 15. “We are working on distributing dhotis and sarees to beneficiaries in time. They will be distributed from December 31 to January 15,” he said.

The Minister admitted that there was a delay in the distribution this year as against in 2023 when the entire distribution was completed by December 31. “The delay was mainly due to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. We lost two months’ time due to the elections,” he said.

The Handlooms officials said that the State government distributes dhotis and sarees free of cost to ration card holders, pensioners and other eligible beneficiaries for Pongal since December 2015 when the scheme was announced by the former Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa. More than 1.7 crore dhotis have been ordered for distribution for Pongal 2025.

Published - November 15, 2024 10:38 pm IST