Chennai, May 5 (IANS): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Tuesday said that ration card holders will be supplied free rice, sugar, and pulses in June as well and that work on sending migrant workers to their home states will be taken up in a week's time.

In an address to the state's people, Palaniswami said ration card holders were given free rice, sugar, pulses and oil in April and May.

With the migrant workers are demanding to be sent back, Palaniswami said that a list needs to be prepared. It can be prepared only by a team of officials after visiting the places where the migrant workers are staying now, the Chief Minister said.

Palaniswami said there are about 50,000 migrant workers in the state. But all the 50,000 migrant workers cannot be sent back in one go and have to be ferried in a phased manner, he added.

Pointing out to permission given to some industrial units to restart operations subject to conditions, Palaniswami said those migrant workers wanting to stay back and resuming work can do so. Those wanting to go back to their home states will be sent back, he assured.

He said the state subsidised Amma Canteen is feeding about seven lakh persons per day across the state whereas various community kitchens were feeding another two lakh persons per day.

About 36 lakh workers were given free rations, he added.

Palaniswami said the state is taking all necessary steps to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

On the high coronavirus infections in state capital Chennai, Palaniswami said dense population led to fast spread of the virus. According to him, the state was testing about 12,000 samples daily, and so the number of coronavirus cases are going up.

He said the virus is spreading through public toilets even as these are sanitised everyday.