The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday announced a special Pongal bonus for its employees, teachers and pensioners to mark the festival. According to an official release, an ad hoc bonus subject to a ceiling of Rs 3,000 will be paid to group C and group D employees. Additionally, employees on consolidated pay and special scale of pay will receive a special ad hoc bonus of Rs 1,000.
The state government, under the leadership of Chief Minister MK Stalin, has allocated Rs 163.81 crore for this initiative. The bonus will also be extended to full-time and part-time employees who worked for a minimum of 240 days or more during the fiscal year 2023-2024 and are paid from contingencies at fixed monthly rates.
A benefit of Rs 500 will be also extended to the group C and group D pensioners, family pensioners, retired village officials and assistants. Apart from this all types of individual pensioners will receive Rs 500.
Tamil Nadu govt asks to reschedule UGC-NET exam in view of Pongal
In another initiative in view of the Pongal celebrations in Tamil Nadu, the Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiaan appealed to the Centre to reschedule the UGC-National Eligibility Test which was set to be held during the festivities.
Writing to Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, Cheziaan said that the National Testing Agency under the Education Ministry has scheduled the UGC-NET December 2024 from January 3 to 16, 2025. Pongal festival falls on January 14, 2025 and Thiruvalluvar Day (Mattu Pongal) is celebrated the following day and the Farmers Day (Uzhavar Thirunal-- Kanum Pongal) is on January 16.
Pongal was not merely a festival, but an "emblem of our culture and traditional heritage that spans over 3,000 years", the minister underscored and added that the Tamil Nadu government had already declared holidays from January 14 to 16, 2025 for the Pongal festival.
(With PTI inputs)
