FOR K. Letchumi Devi, 58, the festive season is a time of joy, but behind the excitement lies a growing concern: making ends meet as the rising cost of daily essentials strains her family budget.
Any little help she gets goes a long way for her and her family.
“During the festive season, the prices of daily essentials tend to go up.
“Given the high cost of living now, the hamper comes in handy,” she said.
Letchumi, who has worked as a general worker at the state government for about 20 years, is among 85 state security personnel and general workers to receive hampers of essential items ahead of Deepavali.
Sponsored by Jagdeep’s office, each hamper contained essentials including a 5kg bag of rice, sugar, instant noodles, muruku flour, soy sauce, coffee, Milo, cooking oil, chilli sauce, as well as meat and fish masala worth RM100.
In addition to the hampers, each recipient also received RM50 as a festive incentive and gesture of appreciation for their dedication and service over the years.
Jagdeep, who presented the hampers, said the event recognised the contributions of general workers and security personnel.
Describing the recipients as part of his family, he said the gesture reflected the state government’s care and concern for its workers and recognition of their everyday needs.
K. Suguna, 44, said the assistance would help her family save money, allowing her to spend a little more on new clothes for her two children.
“We normally have to balance our spending between food and new clothes, but with the hamper, we can now set aside a little extra for the children’s clothes,” she said.
K. Govindama, 52, said the hamper contained exactly what she needed for her Deepavali preparations, saving her both the time and groceries expense.
“It makes my Deepavali preparations easier this year, as I do not have to buy cooking ingredients,” she said.
Another recipient, P. Devi, 57, said this was the third consecutive year that Jagdeep’s office had organised the event.
“For the past three years, we have not been forgotten.
“Deepavali is celebrated not only with our families at home but also with our work family.”
She said the annual initiative made them feel appreciated for their service, adding that such gestures meant a lot to employees working behind the scene.
Devi hopes that the initiative will continue in the coming years, as it provides practical assistance to recipients while spreading the festive spirit among government personnel and their families.
Security personnel supervisor R. Sivakumar, 39, thanked Jagdeep for the hamper, describing the assistance as timely with Deepavali just around the corner.
“These hampers will definitely help us a lot,” said the father of two.
