CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay joined schoolchildren in Children’s Day celebrations on Friday, distributing cakes and greeting cards to students. This is the first time cakes have been distributed to school students across the state for Children’s Day, marking a departure from the practice of serving sweet pongal as part of the mid-day meal scheme on special occasions.
The CM joined the celebrations at the Chennai Middle School in Perambur—the Assembly constituency from where he was elected—where 537 students from LKG to Class 8 received cakes and greeting cards. Around 40 children at the anganwadi centre functioning on the school premises were served sweet pongal. While distributing the cakes, Vijay interacted with the students and asked if they liked them.
A total of 61,84,566 students, teachers and non-teaching staff of government and government-aided schools across the state received cakes, with the government spending Rs 9.27 crore on the distribution. Another 11,11,022 children aged between two and six years at anganwadi centres were served sweet pongal.
The distribution was coordinated by officials of the school education department and the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation. The food safety department tested the quality of the cakes before they were supplied to schools, according to an official release.
Vijay also visited the Perambur MLA office, where he received petitions from the public and distributed certificates to beneficiaries who had applied for various documents. He also inaugurated the ‘Vetri Noolagam’, a library established there for students preparing for competitive examinations.
