Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Tuesday, September 22, expanded the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme to cover students studying in Classes 6 to 8 in government and government-aided schools across the state.
The expansion was formally launched at Gandhi Gramam Middle School in Tiruvanmiyur, Chennai. During the launch, Vijay served breakfast to students, including pongal, sambar and a sweet, before sitting with them and joining them for the meal.
Expansion Coverage and Budget
The extension is expected to bring around 15.30 lakh additional students under the breakfast programme across 15,454 government and government-aided schools.
The Tamil Nadu government has allocated an additional ₹217.63 crore for the scheme during the current financial year, taking the overall allocation to ₹724 crore.
Launch Event Details
After breakfast, the Chief Minister interacted with students at the school and spoke with them about their classes and studies. The launch marked the beginning of the expanded programme for middle-school students, with implementation being carried out through the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department.
Aims and Rollout
The scheme's expansion aims to provide morning meals to older students, supporting their nutritional needs and helping them attend school without hunger.
The rollout is scheduled across Tamil Nadu, with Chengalpattu and Tiruppur excluded initially because of the Model Code of Conduct in force for the upcoming Assembly by-elections.
Ministers N. Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, and A. Rajmohan attended the launch event, along with officials involved in implementing the expanded breakfast programme.
