Puducherry launches free breakfast scheme for students named after M Karunanidhi

Puducherry government rolls out a free breakfast scheme for school students, that will benefit 80,000 students in 419 government and aided institutions.

The Puducherry government has rolled out a free breakfast scheme for school students named after the late DMK President M Karunanidhi, saying it was a "fitting tribute" to his efforts to ensure States' rights. Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said the Constitution would never allow the Centre to intervene in the administration of opposition-ruled States through those appointed to the gubernatorial post.

Mr Narayansamy said that the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi was keenly interested in the development of the Union Territory and more particularly the downtrodden and marginalised sections.

"He had been a champion of the concept of coalition rule at the Centre and autonomous rule at the state level," the chief minister, who presided over the event, said.

Senior DMK leader and Rajya Sabha member from Tamil Nadu, RS Bharathi, formally inaugurated the "Dr Kalaignar Mu Karunanidhi Kaalai Sitrundi Thittam" (Dr Kalaignar M Karunanidhi breakfast scheme) that is expected to benefit about 80,000 students in 419 government and aided institutions.

To start with, the scheme will cover about 106 schools since not all of them are open owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only students from Classes 11 to 12 are allowed to visit the institutions and that too for clarification and guidance.

Mr Narayansamy said Mr Karunanidhi had even questioned the relevance of Governors for states, adding the territorial government named the free breakfast scheme after the late DMK veteran as a "fitting tribute" to his sustained support for the rights of the States.

The people of Puducherry would never forget Mr Karunanidhi's support and cooperation to the union territory for its rights in Cauvery river water sharing and also to address several of its issues, he added.

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