CM Stalin enriching TN legacy in education schemes
A full-fledged meal programme was implemented decades later in 1956 owing to the efforts of former CM Kamarajar who launched the mid-day meal programme for primary school students
CM’s breakfast scheme (Photo: X/@mkstalin)
CHENNAI: When Chief Minister MK Stalin rolled out the expansion of the CM’s breakfast scheme covering 17 lakh primary students in 31,000 government schools, he left an imprint in the state’s history of revolutionising food programmes in the public education system.
Such is the long and illustrious history of the state that has been the pioneer in food distribution in government schools for over a century. The first such programme was launched in 1922 in the then Madras Presidency, courtesy the Justice Party, which moved a resolution on November 17, 1920 in the Madras Corporation Council to offer meals to students of a school consisting of 165 students in Thousand Lights at one anna per student to encourage enrolment. Launched in 1922, it was extended to five schools in the city, doubling the student enrolment from 811 in 1922-23 to 1,671 in 1924-25. However, it was shelved in April 1925 by the colonial rulers before it was briefly revived in 1927.
A full-fledged meal programme was implemented decades later in 1956 owing to the efforts of former CM Kamarajar who launched the mid-day meal programme for primary school students.
Kamarajar roped in people to support the scheme with the state contributing 60 pc and taking the rest from people through donations.
The scheme was further developed by former CM MGR into a nutritious meal programme covering children in the age group of 2-5 in Anganwadis too.
In his third tenure between 1989 and 1991, the then CM M Karunanidhi introduced eggs. In 2013, the then CM J Jayalalithaa introduced a variety of meals and grams/chickpeas to augment nutrition.
Altogether, successive governments in the state did their bit to revolutionaise food distribution and democratise education in the state.