Madurai (Tamil Nadu): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin launched the CM's Breakfast Program for school children at an event held at Adimoolam Municipal Corporation Primary School located in Annatoppu area of Madurai town here in Tamil Nadu on Thursday. The Chief Minister paid respects to Kamalatha on the occasion for services to provide food for one rupee in Coimbatore district.
Later, addressing the program, CM Stalin said, "I am very happy to launch this project on Anna's birthday. The results of the study show that children's learning ability and attendance have decreased significantly due to not being able to eat breakfast. Based on that, we have started this project to ensure breakfast for school children."
Stalin further said that a hundred years ago on this day, Sir P T Thiagarayar of the then ruling Justice Party in Chennai Province introduced a school feeding program in Chennai. Later, the scheme was put on hold by the British rulers. In 1957, Kamaraj introduced the mid-day meal scheme. In 1971, the then Chief Minister Karunanidhi introduced the Nutrition Scheme for Pregnant Women and Infants.
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The CM recalled how successive Chief Ministers like M G Ramachandran expanded the nutrition scheme. MGR ordered opening of more centres. Karunanidhi, who came to power in 1989, proved propaganda as false and continued the nutrition program and announced the additional egg scheme. Later, when Jayalalithaa was the Chief Minister, she offered mixed rice.
CM Stalin said: "Thus in each period, the scheme was expanded by the then rulers. While conducting a study in a school in Chennai, I found that most of the students come without breakfast. To overcome that situation I decided to come up with a breakfast plan. 1,14,095 children in 1,545 government primary schools will benefit through this scheme. Tamil Nadu government is spending 33 crore 56 lakh rupees for this."
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The Chief Minister said that no one should consider this program as concession, charity or free. "It is the moral duty of the government. Students will come to school happily if they are not hungry. This will improve the Tamil community in education. Education is a right we have fought for. No one can take this away from students. All students should study well without worrying about food and hunger. This government will help for that. I am ready to make any sacrifice to get rid of hunger", he added.
