Birth Anniversary of K. Kamaraj

#GS-1 #History #Modern India #Freedom Struggle #Current Events #National

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Prime Minister **Narendra Modi** paid tribute to freedom fighter **Thiru K. Kamaraj** on his birth anniversary to honor his dedication to nation-building.

**K. Kamaraj** was born in **Tamil Nadu** in **1903** and joined the freedom movement after being deeply moved by the **Jallianwala Bagh massacre**.
He participated in the **Salt Satyagraha** in **April 1930** and was imprisoned in **1942** for taking part in the **Quit India Movement**.
He was elected to the **Constituent Assembly of India** in **1946** and later won a seat in **Parliament** in **1952**.

He became the Chief Minister of the **Madras Province** in **1954** and later took over as President of the **Indian National Congress** in **1963**.
He achieved distinction as the first non-English-speaking Chief Minister of an Indian state.
In **1963**, he proposed the famous **Kamaraj Plan** to **Jawaharlal Nehru**, asking senior leaders to resign from government posts to strengthen party work.
He pioneered social welfare in education by introducing free schooling and the **mid-day meal scheme** for children.
The state of **Tamil Nadu** marks his birth anniversary every year as **Education Development Day**.

The Indian government posthumously honored him with the **Bharat Ratna** in **1976**, which is the highest civilian award in India.
He passed away in **1975** at the age of **72**.