Welfare Schemes to Photo Expo: TN CM MK Stalin’s 70th Birthday in Photos

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin turned 70 years of age on Wednesday.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin turned 70 years of age on 1 March 2023.

(Photo: PTI)

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin celebrated his 70th birthday on Wednesday, 1 March 2023. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president is named after the former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Born in 1953, he is the son of former Tamil Nadu CM, veteran Dravidian Movement leader, and popular screenwriter Muthuvel Karunanidhi

Before swearing in as the Tamil Nadu chief minister in 2021, Stalin had held several posts in the DMK party. He was secretary of the youth wing, party treasurer, and executive vice president. Stalin became the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 2009 – the first to hold the position in the state. As a Dravidian political leader, Stalin claims that his public life is in accordance with the ideology of reformist leader Thanthai Periyar or EV Ramasamy, former CMs CN Annadurai and M Karunanidhi. 

A photo exhibition that showcases around 120 pictures of Stalin’s personal and public life was inaugurated by MNM president and actor Kamal Haasan on behalf of the Chennai East district DMK unit. After inaugurating the exhibition titled "Engal Mudhalvar Engal Perumai" (Our Chief Minister, Our Pride) in Chennai, Haasan said his friendship with Stalin goes beyond politics.

DMK party members and supporters celebrated Stalin's birthday across Tamil Nadu with fervour. DMK cadre Zakir Shah from Tiruvannamalai gifted a two-year-old camel wrapped in DMK’s flag to Stalin on his birthday today. Speaking to reporters, the DMK leader said that he had gifted other animals including a Jallikattu bull to Stalin on his past birthdays.

Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi reportedly spoke to Stalin over phone and conveyed their birthday wishes to him. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter and wrote, "Birthday greetings to Tamil Nadu CM Thiru mkstalinJi. May he be blessed with a long and healthy life."

Governors of Tamil Nadu and Telangana R N Ravi and Tamilisai Soundararajan respectively and Chief Ministers of Telangana (K Chandrashekar Rao), Andhra Pradesh (YS Jagan Mohan Reddy) and Delhi (Arvind Kejriwal) greeted Stalin on his birthday.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took to Twitter to convey his birthday wishes to MK Stalin. He said that by standing in defence of federalism, secularism and our mother tongues, Stalin has won hearts across the country.

Birthday wishes for MK Stalin poured in from the south Indian film fraternity too. Actor Rajinikanth shared a special video wishing the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister a happy birthday.

Stalin launched seven special schemes for infants and people from marginalised groups on 28 February, ahead of his birthday. The special nutrition scheme for infants' growth will benefit over 1.11 lakh children aged between six months and six years of age. These children will receive ready-to-use free therapeutic food for eight weeks. Through the scheme, the mothers of 11,917 infants aged up to six months will receive two nutritional packs. The breakfast scheme for students would be extended to 15 municipal corporations and 21 municipalities to benefit 56,098 students in 433 schools.

A scheme to end manual scavenging by training sanitation workers for entrepreneurship was also launched.

As per the scheme, cleanliness workers would be provided with training in operating modern equipment. Stalin said that the scheme would be first implemented on a pilot basis within the Chennai Corporation limits and would then be extended to other urban areas of the state.

Stalin also launched a scheme to hike the monthly pension of transgender persons from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500. He also laid the foundation for 44 hospitals to be built at a cost of Rs 1,136.32 crore. The fund will be used to improve facilities in district headquarters hospitals in 13 places.

On the occasion, gold rings were distributed to newborns in government hospitals. Tree sapling plantations, blood donation camps, eye screening camps, and general medical camps were also held.

Several sporting events such as a south India-level Kabaddi tournament, cricket tournaments, and marathon events, were also held by various district units. 

Two programmes were initiated by the DMK's IT wing to let Stalin’s supporters wish their leader a happy birthday. One programme allowed supporters to call in and record a birthday greeting for the CM. Another initiative dubbed "Selfie with CM" allowed people to virtually take a photo with Stalin using augmented reality.