In 2010, celebrating his 86th birthday, five-time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Kalaignar M Karunanidhi made the grand gesture of donating his Gopalapuram residence to Annai Anjugam Trust to run a hospital for the poor after his and his wife, Dayalu Ammal’s, lifetime.
The trust, run in the name of his mother, would take care of the functioning of the hospital.
According to a report in The Hindu, Karunanidhi had made the declaration on July 23, 2009 when announcing the health insurance scheme for the poor.
As per the 1968 settlement deed, the house was registered under Karunanidhi’s sons, MK Alagiri, MK Stalin and MK Tamilarasu, and the document was later handed over to him by his sons on September 25, 2009.
The Hindu report quoted a press release which stated that the hospital would be named after his mother Anjugam and his father Muthuvelar.
After signing the document registration in 2010, it was reported that Karunanidhi said, “I am a rationalist. So, I am satisfied. If I were a spiritualist, my soul would have felt satisfied.”
M Karunanidhi was the brains behind several welfare schemes for the poor during his tenure, the most well-received of them all being Kalaignar Kappeetu Thittam (health insurance scheme). This scheme allowed the underprivileged access to high-quality healthcare and not just in government hospitals. Conceived and launched in 2009, this scheme would go on to be one of his best welfare plans to date.
The Dravidian mastermind passed away on Tuesday evening following a steep decline in health over a period of 11 days. He is survived by his wives Dayalu Ammal and Rajathi Ammal, and children Stalin, Alagiri, Kanimozhi, Selvi, Muthu, Thamizharasu, and grandchildren.