Chennai, Nov 12:
In a first-of-its-kind initiative to mark Children’s Day, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay will personally distribute cakes and signed greeting cards to students at a government school in Kolathur on Saturday, November 14, launching a state-wide programme benefiting 61,84,566 students across government and government-aided schools.
Sanctioned at a cost of Rs 9.27 crore on the Chief Minister’s directives, the initiative covers primary, middle, high, and higher secondary schools across Tamil Nadu, including around three lakh students enrolled in 890 government, corporation, and aided institutions in Chennai.
To ensure seamless supply, the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC) floated tenders and procured the stocks from four major manufacturers, with the Food Safety Department certifying the batches prior to dispatch.
Under the distribution plan, students in 12 districts—Mayiladuthurai, Salem, Thanjavur, Madurai, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, the Nilgiris, Erode, Namakkal, and Karur—will receive two cake packets totalling 45 grams per student, while pupils in all remaining districts will receive a single 45-gram packet. Chief, District, and Block Educational Officers have coordinated deliveries to schools, while District Collectors and special vigilance teams will oversee hygienic storage and distribution.