Kerala: Free Onam kit to more than 1.50 lakh tribal families

Thiruvananthapuram: 'Onam kits' with nine food articles each, will be distributed free of cost to 1,53,825 Scheduled tribe families by the Kerala government.

Each kit would contain nine food articles worth Rs 759.

An amount of Rs 11.67 crore has been earmarked for the purpose, Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes, A K Balan said here on Thursday.

State wide inauguration of the distribution of Onam kits would be held at Paramabikulam in Palakkad district on September 4, he said.

It was also decided to distribute free kit containing Onakoddi (dhoti for men and Kerala saree for women) to 15,000 'prakthana gothra' sect families.

An amount of Rs 12.81 crore would be spent for the purpose, the release said.