Tamil Nadu Expands Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme To Classes 6-8, Benefiting 15.30 Lakh Students Across 15,454 Government And Aided Schools

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will launch the expansion of the rechristened Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme at 8:30 am on Tuesday at the Government Middle School in Gandhi Gramam, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai.

Under the expansion, the free breakfast scheme, which was previously available to students from Classes 1 to 5, will now cover students from Classes 6 to 8 in government and government-aided schools across the state.

The expansion is expected to benefit around 15.30 lakh additional students studying in 15,454 schools. The state government has allocated an additional Rs 217.63 crore for the scheme during the current financial year, taking the programme's total budget to Rs 724 crore.

The scheme, earlier known as the Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme, has been renamed the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme in honour of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Congress leader K Kamaraj, who played a key role in expanding school education and advancing the state's school meal initiatives.

The statewide implementation of the expanded scheme will begin on Tuesday, except in Chengalpattu and Tiruppur districts, where the rollout has been deferred due to the Model Code of Conduct in force ahead of the upcoming Assembly by-elections.

The scheme's expansion was initially scheduled for September 17 but was postponed to September 22. The Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department has directed district administrations to complete preparations for the launch and ensure the cleanliness and hygiene of kitchens and food-serving areas.

The programme aims to support students' nutritional needs, help them attend school without hunger and improve their ability to concentrate on classroom learning. The expanded scheme will extend the state's existing breakfast support to middle-school students in addition to those already covered under the programme.

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The initiative is part of the Tamil Nadu government's efforts to strengthen nutritional support and improve access to welfare measures for schoolchildren across the state. 

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