By Indian Railways

Copyright thehindu

The story of R. Prema, of Tenkasi district, moved many to tears at the ‘Kalviyil Sirantha Tamil Nadu’ (Tamil Nadu that Excels in Education) event held in Chennai on Thursday.

Her father, Ramasamy, is a mason, and her mother, Muthulakshmi, an agricultural labourer. A student of the Government College of Engineering in Tirunelveli, Ms. Prema acquired skills in the semiconductor industry, thanks to the Naan Mudhalvan scheme. Mr. Ramasamy broke down when she handed over her first month’s salary to him. “People discouraged me from sending girls to school and college. My daughter proved everyone wrong,” he said.

The DMK government organised an event to showcase the success of several welfare initiatives, including the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme, the Naan Mudhalvan Scheme, and the Puthumai Penn–Tamil Pudhalvan Scheme. Beneficiaries of the schemes were present at the event to share how they had been empowered through government support. Telangana CM Revanth Reddy was the guest of honour.

A short film on the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme, detailing the preparation of a healthy breakfast and its distribution to schools, drew widespread praise. A cook brought sambar prepared in a scheme-run kitchen and shared it with the dignitaries on the dais, including Minister for Adi Dravidar Welfare M. Mathiventhan, who said it was delicious. Parents said the nutritious breakfast had improved their children’s health. Prithish, a student whose parents are daily wage labourers, said he was especially fond of Semiya Upma.

Public speaker Bharathi Bhaskar recalled the days when her father, a headmaster, would carry four tiffin boxes to feed students who faint during the morning flag-hoisting ceremony. “A headmaster could only feed a few students. Tamil Nadu has extended this support to students across the State,” she said.

Rosy Meena, a pole vault champion who attended the event with her pole — which cost ₹1.5 lakh — said she was able to break the national record with the support of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT). “I have six poles today. I got a job at TNPL, and my salary is three times higher than what I was offered by Indian Railways,” she said.

Sathya, a student of the Government Polytechnic College in Valangaiman, spoke about how the Puthumai Penn scheme had transformed her life. Married before she could complete school, she once earned a living selling milk from her cows. Seventeen years after dropping out of school, she resumed her education — despite scepticism from teachers. “I told them I should be allowed to continue if I came first in the class. I succeeded, and today I’m studying in a polytechnic college because of the Puthumai Penn scheme,” she said.

Manivasagam, who once lived in a leaky hut with a single bulb in Ariyalur district, is now a medical college student. “The model school run by the government provided good quality education,” he said. He went on to become the district topper in the Plus Two exams and secure admission to a medical college.