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SHRI K.

KAMARAJ

A MAN KNOWN FOR INTEGRITY AND SIMPLICITY


KUMARASWAMI KAMARAJ PLAYED A LEADING ROLE IN SHAPING
INDIA'S DESTINY
INTRODUCTION
 Born on – 15th July 1903 in Virudhunagar, Tamilnadu.
 Father – Kumaraswamy Nadar.
 Mother – Sivagami Ammal.
PRINCIPLE
His principle was "One should not accept any post to which one could not do
full justice"
POLITICAL JOURNEY
In 1920, aged eighteen, he joined the Indian National Congress to fight foreign rule
and liberate the country.
Kamaraj became an enthusiastic worker for the Congress Party and became a great
organizer. He took part in the Non-Cooperation Movement, Nagpur Flag Satyagraha
and other important events. He was imprisoned In 1930, participated in the Salt
Sathyagraha (Salt March), when Indians marched to Vedharanyam under the
leadership of C. Rajagopalacharya as a protest against the British colonial rule of
India. He was arrested again in 1940 and was elected as the Municipal Councillor of
Virudhunagar from jail. He later resigned because of his belief in the principle, “One
should not accept any post to which one could not do full justice. During his
imprisonment, Kamarajar educated himself by reading books in jail. He was a
member of the Constituent Assembly of India and then a Member of Parliament in
1952.

CONTRIBUTION AS A CHIEF MINISTER


 In 1954, he became the Chief Minister of Madras State (now Tamil Nadu).
His administration was considered good and efficient.
 Kamaraj„s goal was to improve the economic conditions of the farmers by the
development of agricultural sector and to augment their income in a big way.
 He understood the problems of people living in rural areas and the need for
nourishment for growing children. He introduced the brilliant concept of mid-
day meals in schools to provide free meals to school children hailing from
economically backward families.
 He introduced free school uniforms to weed out caste, creed and class
distinctions among young minds. During the British regime the education rate
was only 7%. But after Kamaraj's reforms it reached 37%.
 Kamaraj became the CM for two more consecutive terms until 1963.
 As Chief Minister, Kamaraj removed the family vocation based hereditary
Education Policy introduced by Rajaji.
 The State made immense strides in education and trade. New schools were
opened, so that poor rural students had to walk no more than three kilometres
to their nearest school. Better facilities were added to existing ones.
 No village remained without a primary school and no panchayat without a
high school. Kamaraj strived to eradicate illiteracy by introducing free and
compulsory education up to the eleventh standard.
 Kamaraj and Bishnuram Medhi (Governor) took efforts to establish IIT
Madras in 1959.
 Major irrigation schemes were planned in Kamaraj's period. Dams and
irrigation canals were built across higher Bhavani, Mani Muthar, Aarani,
Vaigai, Amaravathi, Sathanur, Krishnagiri, Pullambadi, Parambikulam and
Neyyaru among others.
 The Lower Bhavani Dam in Erode district brought 207,000 acres (840 km sq)
of land under cultivation. 45,000 acres (180 km sq) of land benefited from
canals constructed from the Mettur Dam. The Vaigai and Sathanur systems
facilitated cultivation across thousands of acres of lands in Madurai and North
Arcot districts respectively.
 Kamaraj was keen on the industrial development of the state in a big way.
Because of his tremendous zeal and energy he was able to establish a big
aluminum plant and a large sized paper mill in the state. Neyveli Lignite
Scheme, Raw Photo Film Industry at Nilgiri, Surgical instruments Factory at
Guindy, Sugar Factories, Bi-Carbonate Factories, Cement Factories, Railway
coach Factory at Avadi and Mettur Paper Industry, were started in the regime
of Kamaraj.
 His administration was transparent, corrupt free and fully committed to the
welfare of the people.
 There was no water connection in her house and she continued to draw water
from the public well. Some over-enthusiastic officials tried to provide the
house with water connection as a favour, but Kamaraj heard about it and
stopped them.
 Due to his selfless service for the good of the poor and the downtrodden in the
society, the Government of India awarded him with the Bharat Ratna,
posthumously in the year 1976.
 Kamaraj died at his home, on Gandhi Jayanti day (2 October 1975), which
also was the 12th anniversary of his resignation. He was aged 72 and died in
his sleep due to a heart attack

Nehru’s Comments Nehruji appreciated the services of Kamaraj as under:

“It is impossible to find a person overcoming Kamaraj in public service. As a friend


for several years I had a chance to know him. The value I had on him increased on
and on whenever I moved with him. He is the CM to a government which is a
example for efficient and good governance.”

This indicates that how the contribution of Kamaraj transformed the society.

BY

DINESH KUMAR P

(28048)

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