Overview
- Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin marked Pongal at the Secretariat in Chennai, addressing officials on their role in delivering welfare programmes.
- The Pongal gift scheme will provide ₹3,000 to over 2.2 crore rice ration‑card households along with hampers containing rice, sugar and sugarcane.
- Beneficiaries are also set to receive traditional garments such as a dhoti and a saree ahead of the festival.
- Stalin reaffirmed a vow to meet all residents’ needs by 2030, outlining priorities across education, healthcare, employment, environmental protection, peace, religious harmony and equality under Dravidian Model 2.0.
- The government is promoting the 'Tell Us Your Dream' initiative to collect household aspirations for policy planning, while Governor R. N. Ravi issued Pongal greetings lauding farmers and the role of cattle in agriculture.