Tamil Nadu Expands Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme to Classes VI-VIII, 15.3 Lakh More Students to Benefit

The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday expanded the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme to students in Classes VI to VIII, extending free morning meals to an additional 15.30 lakh children in government and government-aided schools across the State.

Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay inaugurated the State-wide expansion at Chennai Middle School in Tiruvanmiyur, Chennai. Later, Minister for Higher Education P. Vishwanathan launched the scheme for Madurai district at Government Higher Secondary School in Thumbaipatti, under Kottampatti Panchayat Union.

The scheme is implemented by the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department. According to the government, its objectives are to eliminate morning hunger, improve the nutritional status of students, and support classroom attendance and learning outcomes.

With the latest expansion, an additional 15.30 lakh students across 15,454 government and government-aided schools will receive nutritious meals every school day. An official press statement said the State government has allocated an additional ₹217.63 crore for the current financial year. This brings the total financial outlay for the scheme to ₹724 crore.

In Madurai district, the rollout covers 574 schools—400 rural institutions and 174 urban schools. A total of 69,730 students in Classes VI to VIII are expected to benefit daily. To ensure smooth implementation, a trial run was conducted across all designated schools on September 11.

To mark the launch, students across Madurai district were served a special inaugural menu featuring pongal, vegetable sambar, and sweet pongal. After the launch, Mr. Vishwanathan, along with District Collector Nishant Krishna, served meals to students.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Vishwanathan recalled his own experience as a beneficiary of the midday meal scheme introduced by former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj. “If that midday meal scheme had not been introduced by Kamarajar, rural youths like me would not have had the opportunity to obtain higher education and step into the Assembly,” he said.

He also said the current Chief Minister was continuing Kamarajar’s legacy, describing it as corruption-free and pro-poor governance. These were the Minister’s remarks, made at the launch event.

The Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme is named after K. Kamaraj, who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and is remembered for expanding school education and the midday meal programme. The State government has projected the breakfast scheme as a measure to address hunger among schoolchildren and encourage regular attendance.

Officials said the expansion took effect on Tuesday and will be implemented across the State. The government will monitor the rollout, including food quality, supply, and daily distribution, through the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department and district administrations.

The additional allocation is intended to meet the cost of providing meals to the newly covered students. The government said the scheme aims to ensure that students do not begin their school day hungry, which it links to better concentration and participation in class.

In Madurai, the launch event was attended by officials and students. The inaugural meal was served in schools across the district. The trial run on September 11 was held to test logistics before the full rollout.

The midday meal scheme introduced by K. Kamaraj is often cited as an early effort to provide free meals in schools. The current breakfast scheme borrows its name and is presented by the government as a continuation of that legacy.