TN govt files modification plea in HC to add one more category in green list

The Tamil Nadu government Thursday filed a modification plea in the Madras High Court seeking to add one more category of 'sugar cards' to the green list, a day after it stayed the distribution of Rs 1,000 in cash as Pongal gift to all ration card holders.

A division bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and P Rajamanickam had Wednesday passed an interim order restraining the state government from distributing the cash gift to non-priority household only for sugar (NPHH-S) and no commodity (NC) category of ration card holders.

The state government was permitted to distribute the cash gift to other three categories.

Claiming that most of the families coming under the NPHH-S category also belong to economically weaker background, the government asked the court to modify the January 9 order and allow it to provide the cash gift to that category also.

In its petition, the state government had submitted that the number of such families cannot be arrived at this juncture as the economic indices are not available.

Out of 10,11,330 NPHH-S card holders as of Thursday, 4,12,558 card holders have received the gift, it said.

The balance card holders under this category most of whom are also from the below poverty line (BPL) category are affected and are highly disappointed by non-receipt of the benefit, the government said.

The petition is likely to be taken up for hearing by the bench on Friday.