On Saturday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin unveiled five new initiatives, including a breakfast programme for all government school students in the state. On the one-year anniversary of his election as chief minister, Stalin stated his government has fulfilled 60 to 70% of the commitments made by the DMK in its election programme.
He also invented the term Dravida Model to describe his governing strategy.
A special nutritional scheme for children under the age of six, based on a government public health study on the alarming trends of malnourished children in the state; Delhi-model schools of excellence; and 708 urban public health centres at a cost of Rs 180 crore were among the other announcements he made amid loud cheers.
"According to a government survey, many youngsters who start school early miss breakfast. They usually skip breakfast due to the distance they must travel as well as the sadness and challenges they face at home. As a result, we are introducing this programme in a limited number of schools in companies, towns, and rural regions before spreading it out countrywide," Stalin stated.
The new schools of excellence initiative would be implemented in all corporations in the state at a cost of Rs 150 crore to modernise facilities and create a fresh learning environment for kids, modelled after a similar effort by the Delhi government.
Between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., and 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., the 708 urban medical centres being built in 21 corporations and 63 municipalities for Rs 180 crore would operate with full staff strength, including physicians, nurses, and other health personnel.
The government has also put aside Rs 1,000 crore to establish a programme that, according to Stalin, will directly oversee the collecting of concerns from all constituencies. "Whether it's the people of Kolathur, the Opposition Leader's Edappadi, or O Panneerselvam's Bodi, we'll be there to answer their problems," he stated.
"I am not Kalaignar (his father, late M Karunanidhi). I'm not capable of speaking like Kalaignar. I'm not capable of writing like him. But I had promised myself that I would work as hard as he did. Let me assure you that I kept my commitment, and that is my current happiness," he continued. Stalin praised the DMK cadre, his cabinet colleagues, and associates for their contributions to the state's success in the first year.
On his way to the secretariat this morning, Stalin halted his convoy and boarded a government bus, the popular 29C, to ask female passengers if they were satisfied with his regime. It was the same bus he used to ride when he was a student and his father was a minister, he recalled.
Stalin claimed the free bus ride plan for women alone helps working women save Rs 600-1,000 a month, as he read off dozens of schemes his administration introduced last year and information of their beneficiaries. Approximately 106 crore tickets have been purchased under this plan as of April 2022.
