Tamil Nadu Expands Breakfast Scheme To Classes 6-8, CM Vijay Eats With Students At Launch

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday expanded the state's breakfast programme to students in Classes 6 to 8, bringing around 15.30 lakh additional schoolchildren under the scheme across 15,454 government and state-aided schools.

At the Government Middle School in Gandhi Gramam, Thiruvanmiyur, Vijay served breakfast to students and later sat down with them for the meal. The menu included pongal, sambar and a sweet. Around 217 students had breakfast at the school during the launch, according to reports.

Vijay later visited classrooms and interacted with students. A Class 7 student, S Tharshini, told The Times of India that the Chief Minister asked about her name, section and studies, and waited while she completed her prayer before eating.

The expansion comes under the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme, the renamed version of the programme. The breakfast initiative was originally launched in 2022 by the previous DMK government led by M K Stalin, initially covering students in Classes 1 to 5. The latest move therefore expands an existing programme rather than introducing an entirely new scheme.

The state has allocated an additional ₹217.63 crore for the expansion during the current financial year, taking the total allocation for the breakfast programme to ₹724 crore. The programme will now cover students from Classes 1 to 8.

The menu includes upma, kichadi and pongal, with millet-based dishes planned twice a week. In Chennai, integrated kitchens will serve 447 government and aided schools, while self-help groups will prepare and serve breakfast in rural areas.

Implementation has been deferred in Chengalpattu and Tiruppur because the Model Code of Conduct is in force ahead of the October 6 Assembly by-elections in Madurantakam and Dharapuram.