Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Wednesday announced cash assistance of Rs.300 in lieu of free supply of dhotis and sarees to Scheduled Caste people for Pongal.
Mr. Rangasamy told reporters that the government had deposited Rs.2.77 crores towards the cash distribution through Electronic Clearance System for procuring clothes of their choice. This would benefit around 92,445 beneficiaries in Puducherry region and Rs.1.23 crore had been deposited for as many as 34,418 beneficiaries in Karaikal. A sum of Rs.21.90 lakh was deposited in bank accounts of 7,300 beneficiaries in Yanam region.
He said the Department of Women and Child Development would distribute Rs.600 each to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families through anganwadis. As many as 1.06 lakh BPL cardholders would be covered. The government would soon distribute laptops to school students.
Mr. Rangasamy asserted that there was nothing wrong in elected MLAs meeting the Chief Minister for developing their constituencies by implementing various welfare schemes. The Chief Minister said he had requested the Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu to include Puducherry under schemes of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission without break. “I have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the release of 15 fishermen from Karaikal now in Sri Lankan prison.”
