Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday launched the expanded Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme for students of Classes 6 to 8. The expansion will cover around 15.30 lakh additional students studying in government and government-aided schools across the state.
The scheme was launched at a Chennai school, where Vijay served breakfast to students and later interacted with them. The programme has been expanded beyond its earlier coverage of Classes 1 to 5 to include middle-school students.
Breakfast scheme expanded to Classes 6 to 8
The expanded scheme will benefit approximately 15.30 lakh students across 15,454 government and government-aided schools. With the latest expansion, the programme will cover students in Classes 1 to 8.
The Tamil Nadu government has allocated an additional ₹217.63 crore for the scheme during the current financial year. The overall allocation for the programme has been increased to ₹724 crore.
The government has said the initiative aims to improve students’ nutrition, ensure that children attend school without hunger and help them focus on their studies.
How the breakfast scheme will be implemented
The breakfast programme will be implemented through different arrangements across urban and rural areas.
- In Chennai, meals will be prepared through integrated kitchens covering government and government-aided schools.
- Other corporations, municipalities and adjoining town panchayat areas will also use centralised kitchens.
- In rural areas, members of self-help groups will prepare and serve breakfast at schools.
The weekly menu includes items such as upma, khichdi and pongal, along with a sweet dish on Friday. Authorities have also been instructed to maintain hygiene in kitchens and ensure that students receive hot and nutritious meals.
Schoolbag searches at launch event trigger controversy
The launch event also triggered a political controversy after police personnel were seen checking the schoolbags of students attending the programme in Chennai.
A video of the bag searches circulated on social media. DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai criticised the searches and questioned what the police were looking for. He also posted the video while attacking the TVK government over the incident.
The schoolbag searches took place as students gathered for the Chief Minister’s launch event. The controversy emerged alongside the rollout of the expanded breakfast programme.
Scheme to benefit 15.30 lakh additional students
The expansion is expected to bring 15.30 lakh more students under the breakfast programme. With the inclusion of Classes 6 to 8, the initiative is now set to cover a significantly wider section of schoolchildren across Tamil Nadu.
The programme will, however, not initially be implemented in Chengalpattu and Tiruppur districts because Assembly by-elections are scheduled in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram constituencies on October 6.
