CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has directed all fair price shops to print and keep Pongal 2026 gift hamper tokens ready by 2 January.Ahead of a formal government order, the Cooperation, Food and Consumer Protection Department issued detailed instructions to ration shops across the state, mandating door-to-door distribution of tokens to rice ration cardholders and Sri Lankan Tamil refugees. Tokens must clearly mention the date and time of collection. Around 2 crore beneficiaries are expected to benefit.The directions were issued by Additional Registrar M Veerappan to all zonal offices.To avoid overcrowding, a staggered system will be followed, with 100 beneficiaries allowed per session in the morning and evening. Shops with larger premises may increase this to 150–200 beneficiaries per session.Ration cards must be grouped street-wise, and detailed beneficiary lists must be maintained. Only ration shop staff are permitted to issue tokens; police personnel are barred from the process. However, police protection will be provided at shops where law and order issues are anticipated.Shops handling up to 1,500 ration cards must deploy two staff members, while those with over 1,500 cards must have three. Adequate stocks of gift hampers must be ensured, and daily updates on token issuance uploaded on Google Sheets by 5 pm.For Pongal 2025, the gift hamper included 1 kg of raw rice, 1 kg of sugar, sugarcane, and free dhotis and sarees.
