Pondicherry: Chief Minister N. Rangasamy said on Tuesday one lakh children in government-run and government-aided schools in the Union Territory of Pondicherry would be distributed umbrellas during the current academic year (2005-2006). He told newspersons here that the Department of School Education would spend around Rs. 1 crore for the scheme, which would cover children in Standards I to VIII.

The Chief Minister also said already the free raincoat scheme had been implemented to cover children in the Standard IXin the government and government aided schools and these children's eligibility was the same as for the free bicycle scheme.

Free rice for Pongal

Mr. Rangasamy said that the department of Civil Supplies and Consumer Welfare would distribute free of cost 10 kg of rice to each of the families irrespective of the type of ration cards they were possessing (red or yellow) in connection with the celebration of Pongal festival.

Memorial

A memorial in each of the two districts of Pondicherry and Karaikal would be constructed as homage to the tsunami victims in the Union Territory. A memorial would be set up in Kanbathichettikulam, a tsunami ravaged village on East Coast Road and another would be erected in one of the pockets in Karaikal.

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