The government will provide a sum of ₹500 each to ration card holders belonging to the Adi Dravidar community to buy clothes during Deepavali festival, said Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Tuesday.
Talking to reporters after issuing orders enhancing salary of employees in the government-owned Cooperative Milk Producers Union, popularly known as Ponlait, the Chief Minister said the amount to buy clothing material would be remitted to the beneficiaries’ account very soon.
He said the minimum salary of employees in Ponlait had been enhanced to ₹10,000 per month. Daily rated casual labourers, working for more than five years and earning ₹176 per day, will hereafter be eligible to earn a daily wage of ₹430, and those working for less than five years and earning ₹176 per day will be eligible to draw a daily salary of ₹330 per day. For both the sections of employees, the salary would now range between ₹13,000 to ₹10,000 per month. The enhancement will come into force from November 1, the Chief Minister said. Also, steps were being taken to fill 10,000 vacancies in various departments. Recruitment of around 300 homeguards would be soon held.
The government has decided to approach the Centre to raise two more battalions of the India Reserve Battalion in the Union Territory, he said.
More festival gifts
Mr. Rangasamy also announced 10 kg of rice and 2 kg of sugar to all family cardholders in Puducherry as Deepavali gift. He directed the immediate reopening of all fair price shop (FPS) outlets to ensure smooth distribution of the commodities.
A government order said: “As desired by the Chief Minister, 2 kg of sugar and 10 kg of rice have to be distributed to all family cardholders free of cost through fair price shops. The Managing Director, FPS Society, may ensure the functioning of all outlets and submit a list of the ones which are not/could not be opened, with valid reasons to the undersigned within two days.”
