Friday, December 17, 2010

FDC: Omanthur P ramaswamy Reddiar

Date: 25-08-2010

Omandur Ramasamy Reddiar (1895 – 1970) was an Indian freedom-fighter and politician of the Indian National Congress. He served as the Premier of Madras Presidency from March 23, 1947 to April 6, 1949.

Omandur Ramaswamy Reddiyar was born in 1895 in the village of Omandur near Tindivanam in the then South Arcot district of Madras Presidency. He belonged to a Telugu Reddy family domiciled in the Tamil country. He had his schooling at Walter Scudder school and entered the Indian independence movement at an early age. Ramaswamy Reddiar was a devotee of Sri Ramana Maharshi

Ramaswamy Reddiyar became the Chief Minister or Premier of Madras on March 23, 1947 and was in power till April 6, 1949. During his tenure, the Madras Temple Entry Authorization Act 1947 was passed This act was intended to give Dalits and other prohibited Hindus full and complete rights to enter Hindu temples.This was approved by the Governor on May 11, 1947 and passed as Madras Act 5 of 1947.The Devadasi Dedication Abolition Act of 1947 put an end to the devadasi system that was in vogue in many Hindu temples.

It was during Reddiyar's tenure that India achieved independence from the United Kingdom.Soon after independence and partition of India, there was a shortage of food grains, especially rice, in the province.In 1948, Reddiyar ordered the purchase of a de Havilland Dove, the first aeroplane to be owned by the Government of Madras.

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