TMC demands inclusion of sugar cane in Pongal gift hamper
The Hindu
CHENNAI
Tamil Maanila Congress president G.K. Vasan on Sunday urged the Tamil Nadu government to include one sugar cane per ration card holder as part of the Pongal gift hamper it has announced.
In a statement, he said sugarcane cultivators in Tamil Nadu were looking forward to the bulk purchase by the government ahead of Pongal. However, the decision to not include sugar cane as part of the Pongal gift hamper has not only disappointed them but also exposed the anti-farmer stand of the government.
Apart from being beneficial to farmers, he said the inclusion of sugar cane in the gift hamper would help the public as well since they would not have to buy it separately. Arguing that the cash allowance of ₹1,000 in the gift was inadequate, Mr. Vasan appealed to the government to increase it to ₹2,500.
Actor and Hindupur MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna relaunched the Anna Canteen and NTR Arogya Ratham here on Monday amidst much fanfare. The twin occasions marked Mr. Balakrishna’s 64th birthday celebrations. Speaking to the media, Mr. Balakrishna said that the people of Andhra Pradesh had given a historic verdict to the NDA, and “I shall tirelessly work to fulfil all the promises made to them.”
A delegation of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) led by its Polit Bureau member Varla Ramaiah has lodged a complaint with Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Superintendent of Police (SP) U. Ravi Prakash, alleging that former Minister Botcha Satyanarayana, his personal assistant and some officers had taken bribes from teachers for transferring them to the places of their choice.