“The Tamil Nadu government’s scheme to provide three eggs per week under the nutritious meals scheme would encourage parents to send their children to schools, besides physically strengthening the children”, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said on Sunday.
Inaugurating the three eggs per week scheme here, as part of a state-wide programme to mark the 105th birth anniversary of late Congress leader and former chief minister Kamaraj, he opined that healthy and physically strong children would perform well in education, as well as in sports.
Pointing out that India very rarely won medals in sports, Mr Karunanidhi  said that physically strong children would be more competitive in the global arena and win laurels for the nation.
Mr Karunanidhi also made it clear that the number of eggs provided would not be increased further, “since anything which exceeds the limit is also not good for health”.
71 lakh beneficiary
Mr Karunanidhi  added that the scheme would benefit 71 lakh children in the age group of 2 to 15 years through noon meal centres and child centres under the Integrated Child Development Services scheme.
Mr Karunanidhi announced that the government would also provide one egg every week to children in the age group of 1-2 years.
About  2,40,017 children would benefit under the scheme.The total expenditure for the scheme would be Rs 224 crore per annum.
The DMK government led by Mr Karunanidhi started providing eggs under the nutritious meal scheme on June 3, 1989.
Though the scheme was shelved by the AIADMK government during 2001-2006. The scheme was was reintroduce by the DMK government on July 15 last year .
The Tamil Nadu government has declared the birth anniversary of K Kamaraj, who implemented several schemes for the education of poor children of the state, as ‘Educational Development day’.

Kamraj’s birth anniversary observed
Chennai, UNI: Despite being a Sunday, all schools in Tamil Nadu remained open on Sunday on the occasion of former chief minister K Kamaraj’s 105th birth anniversary, which was being observed as “Education Development Day’’ by the state government.
All the schools, both government and private, remained open as the enthusiastic children clad in uniforms were seen going to the schools: A rare sight on a Sunday!
Though it was like yet another working day, the students did not carry the whole load of books. Instead they were put through competitions, seminars cultural programmes and interactive sessions.
Sunday’s working day would be compensated for a holiday later.
“We count 200 days as working days for an academic session. We will see when this working day can be adjusted for a holiday later,” an official in the Directorate of School Education said.
The day also marked the launching of the mid-day meal scheme, of giving three eggs per week to students.
DMK President and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi  launched the programme at a government school in Chintadripet in the city in the presence of Social Welfare Minister Poongothai and School Education Minister Thangam Thennarasu.
Despite several schools not having the mid-day meal programme, the management had asked the students to attend the school. Giving heed to the government directive to open the schools on Sunday, some private schools had compelled the students to attend the school failing which suitable action would be initiated.