CHENNAI: Prayers and philanthropy were the two key aspects of the 67th birthday of AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday. AIADMK cadre across the State and in neighbouring states, where the party has its units, celebrated the birthday of their leader with fervour and all of them prayed for her return as the CM soon. Health camps, annadanam, distribution of sarees, dhotis to the needy and notebooks to students and blood donation camps took place across Tamil Nadu on the occasion.
Leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Ravi Shankar Prasad, greeted Jayalalithaa on her birthday.
In the morning, CM O Panneerselvam and his colleagues called on her and greeted her. Later, at the party headquarters here, Social Welfare Minister B Valarmathi cut a 67-kg birthday cake, while Electricity Minister R Viswanathan released a souvenir.
As part of the government’s plan to plant 67 lakh saplings across Tamil Nadu at a cost of `53.72 crore this year, Panneerselvam planted a bael sapling at Marundeeswarar temple at Tiruvanmiyur, while his Cabinet colleagues and others planted bael saplings in 969 other temples.
AIADMK functionaries had made arrangements to gift 67 items, including gold rings, to babies born in government hospitals in the State. In the transport department, 6,000 contract labourers and others got promotion orders.
Later, the Health Minister inaugurated a special medical camp for Secretariat employees. A mini-hospital has been set up on the 10th floor of the Namakkal Kavignar Maaligai in which lab tests are being done free-of-cost for the staff.