Jayalalitha to Give Pongal Gift Hampers to Two Crore Families

Jayalalitha tries to woo poor families before 2016 elections by giving freebies on the occasion of Pongal.

Jayalalitha’s main agenda has been welfare of the poor. (Photo: Reuters)

As the grand celebrations of Pongal are about to begin in a few days, CM Jayalalithaa has announced a Pongal gift hamper for the people of Tamil Nadu.

According to a government press release, nearly two crore families will benefit from this gift hamper. The government will have an additional expenditure of Rs 318 crore because of this hamper.

So what’s there in this gift hamper? Let’s have a look at the list.

The box will have,

• One kilogram of rice.
• One kilogram of sugar.
• Two feet long sugarcane.
• Rs 100 in cash.
  

These hampers can only be collected by

• Those who receive rice through the Public Distribution System (PDS).
• Lankan Tamil refugees in camps.
• Police personnel with ration cards.

The state of Tamil Nadu was devastated due to Chennai floods in 2015, Jayalalitha’s desperate move to give freebies just before the 2016 state election will be worth it only if the results are in her favour.