Overview
- The DMK government rolled out Rs 3,000 in cash assistance with Pongal hampers for over 2.22 crore ration‑card families, with media citing costs from about Rs 6,936 crore to nearly Rs 7,600 crore.
- Chief Minister M. K. Stalin led a 'Samathuva Pongal' at the Secretariat, invoked the 'Dravidian Model 2.0' and pledged to meet people’s needs through 2030.
- Local DMK and AIADMK leaders distributed expansive gift kits across constituencies, while BJP figures publicly criticized the giveaways as election‑driven.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated Pongal in New Delhi, calling it a global festival and describing Tamil culture as a shared heritage of India and humanity; Amit Shah and Rahul Gandhi held festival‑linked outreach in Tamil Nadu.
- Puducherry credited Rs 3,000 via DBT to 3.47 lakh PDS families and issued a Rs 750 Pongal commodity package through ration shops.