WelfareMadras State (Congress era)
Kamaraj expands free schooling and midday meals
· Chennai
The Kamaraj government opened thousands of schools, extended free education and expanded free midday meals for schoolchildren.
During K. Kamaraj's tenure as Chief Minister, the Madras government sharply expanded primary education, reopening closed schools and adding thousands of new ones. Free education was introduced for schoolchildren, and the free midday meal programme was extended to schools across the state to raise enrolment and address malnutrition. Tamil Nadu is credited as the pioneer of the midday meal scheme in post-independence India. These measures contributed to significant growth in school enrolment and literacy.
