Tamil Nadu launches ₹100 vegetable packs for Deepavali

The Vetri vegetable pack scheme began in Tamil Nadu on Thursday, offering ten kitchen essentials for ₹100 ahead of Deepavali. Cooperation Minister V Ganthiraj launched the three-day sale at Chennai's Poonga Nagar Cooperative Wholesale Store and handed the first packs to members of the public.

The offer runs from November 5 to 7 through 218 selected cooperative retail outlets across the state. Four mobile vegetable vending units have also been deployed to serve neighbourhoods in Chennai, the minister said.

Each pack weighs between 2.55 kg and 2.60 kg. Authorities have limited purchases to one pack per person to spread the benefit across households and prevent hoarding.

Contents and places of sale

The Vetri vegetable pack contains 500 grams each of onions and tomatoes, 250 grams each of brinjal and potatoes, and 200 grams each of carrots and beans. It also includes 100 grams each of green chillies and lemons, 50 grams of ginger and one coconut.

According to the government release, the vegetables are sorted and hygienically packed in eco-friendly packaging. Sales will take place during the designated cooperative stores' normal working hours.

Ganthiraj clarified that the kits are outside the Public Distribution System and are not being sold at ration shops. Consumers will instead find them at selected supermarkets and other designated outlets.

The Cooperation Department said sufficient stocks had been arranged across Tamil Nadu. Regional and Joint Registrars of Cooperative Societies have been instructed to monitor supply closely and support distribution.

The minister said vegetables were being bought directly from farmers to remove intermediaries, with the aim of lowering consumer prices and improving farmers' returns. The scheme is intended to help households manage vegetable price fluctuations during the festival period.

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