Tamil Nadu CM Vijay distributes cakes, greeting cards to students for Children’s Day

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday, November 13, inaugurated a statewide programme to distribute cakes and greeting cards to students in government and government-aided schools, and sweet pongal to children at anganwadi centres, ahead of Children’s Day on November 14.

A total of 61,84,566 students, teachers and non-teaching staff at government and government-aided schools are set to receive cakes and greeting cards at a cost of Rs 9.27 crore, according to an official press release. Sweet pongal was distributed to 11,11,022 children aged between two and six who attend pre-school at anganwadi centres across the state.

CM Vijay launched the initiative at Chennai Middle School in his Perambur Assembly constituency. He distributed cakes and greeting cards to 537 students from LKG to Class VIII, and sweet pongal to 40 children at an anganwadi centre on the school premises. He also interacted with students and staff.

Students in Mayiladuthurai, Salem, Thanjavur, Madurai, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchi, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, the Nilgiris, Erode, Namakkal and Karur received two packets of cake each, weighing 45 grams per piece . Students in the remaining districts received one 45-gram packet each. The cards carried the message “All is well, be confident,” along with Children’s Day wishes from the Chief Minister.

The distribution was coordinated by Chief Educational Officers, District Educational Officers, Block Educational Officers and regional managers of the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation. The Food Safety Department assessed the cakes before they were sent to schools.

The government said this was the first time it had organised a statewide distribution of cakes, greeting cards and sweet pongal for Children’s Day. CM Vijay was accompanied at the launch by School Education Minister A Rajmohan, Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Minister K Jagadeeswari, Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare Minister Srinath, MLAs M R Pallavi and Revanth Charan, Chief Secretary M Sai Kumar and other officials.