Tamil Nadu Renames Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme as Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme

The Tamil Nadu Government has officially renamed the Chief Minister`s Breakfast Scheme as the "Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme." The announcement comes as the government prepares to expand the scheme to cover students in Classes 6 to 8 from September 17.

The breakfast scheme was originally introduced during the previous government for students studying in Classes 1 to 5 in government primary schools. It was launched on September 15, 2022, and later extended to government-aided primary schools on August 25, 2023. At present, around 17.55 lakh students benefit from the scheme.

Following the change in government, the scheme has now been expanded to include Classes 6 to 8. Chief Minister Vijay announced that the extended programme will be launched on September 17, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Periyar.

With this expansion, an additional 15 lakh students are expected to benefit, increasing the total number of beneficiaries to 34.36 lakh students across Tamil Nadu.

The government said the scheme will begin on September 17 in schools that already have kitchens and the necessary infrastructure. The remaining schools will implement the programme within the following month.

Along with the expansion, the government has officially renamed the scheme as the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme, honouring K. Kamaraj, who pioneered the school meal programme to improve education and student welfare in Tamil Nadu.

The state also highlighted the evolution of its school nutrition initiatives over the years. K. Kamaraj introduced the school midday meal programme for economically disadvantaged students. Later, M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) expanded the nutritious meal scheme for all schoolchildren in 1982, while M. Karunanidhi introduced the provision of eggs as part of the nutritious meal programme. The previous government later launched the breakfast scheme for students in Classes 1 to 5, and the present government has now expanded it to benefit students up to Class 8.