R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, SEPT 22
What if the school day began not with hunger, but with a healthy meal that helps children arrive ready to learn? Tamil Nadu is taking its breakfast initiative to a wider student population, with Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay launching the expansion of the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme to cover Classes VI to VIII in government and state-aided schools.
மாண்புமிகு தமிழ்நாடு முதலமைச்சர் திரு.ச.ஜோசப் விஜய் அவர்கள் இன்று (22.9.2026), தமிழ்நாட்டில் உள்ள அனைத்து அரசு மற்றும் அரசு உதவிபெறும் பள்ளிகளில் ஆறாம் வகுப்பு முதல் எட்டாம் வகுப்பு வரை பயிலும் மாணவ, மாணவியர் பயன்பெறும் வகையில் பெருந்தலைவர் காமராஜர் காலை உணவுத் திட்ட… pic.twitter.com/6IXayo6Mns
— CMOTamilNadu (@CMOTamilnadu) September 22, 2026
The launch took place on Tuesday at a government middle school in Gandhi Gramam, Thiruvanmiyur, where Vijay served breakfast to students and joined them for a meal. He later visited classrooms and interacted with the children.
- Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay launches expansion of Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme for Classes VI–VIII
- Additional 15.30 lakh students across 15,454 government and aided schools to benefit
- ₹217.63 crore additional allocation takes the programme’s total budget to ₹724 crore
- Millet-based breakfast options twice a week, alongside upma, kichadi and pongal
- Self-help group members to prepare and serve meals through integrated kitchens and school-level arrangements
- Rollout excluded in Chengalpattu and Tiruppur due to Model Code of Conduct for October 6 bypolls
The expansion is expected to benefit an additional 15.30 lakh students across 15,454 government and aided schools, extending the programme’s reach to older students and reinforcing the link between nutrition and education.
₹724-crore outlay to support expansion
The State has allocated an additional ₹217.63 crore in the current financial year to support the expanded programme, taking its total budget to ₹724 crore.
Named in honour of former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj, the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme is designed to help students begin their school day with a nutritious meal. The latest expansion extends its coverage to students in Classes VI, VII and VIII.
The rollout was originally scheduled for September 17 but was deferred to accommodate Vijay’s recent official investment visit to London.
Breakfast beyond the primary years
The expansion builds on the State’s existing breakfast programme for Classes I to V, extending nutritional support to middle-school students. The government says the initiative is intended to help children attend school without hunger and concentrate on their studies.
With the latest expansion, the scheme is expected to cover around 34.64 lakh students in 44,984 schools, according to reports on the government’s announcement.
Millets on the menu, self-help groups in action
The breakfast menu includes upma, kichadi and pongal, with millet-based options twice a week. The programme’s implementation is distributed across urban and rural local bodies, with self-help group members preparing and serving meals in schools in the areas assigned to the Tamil Nadu Women’s Development Corporation.
In Chennai, the Greater Chennai Corporation will implement the scheme through integrated kitchens serving 447 government and aided schools. The Directorate of Municipal Administration will oversee implementation in 2,150 schools in other corporations, municipalities and adjoining township areas, while the Tamil Nadu Women’s Development Corporation will cover 12,857 schools in rural and adjoining areas.
Nutrition, attendance and learning
“The breakfast will be prepared and served by the members of the self-help groups in the respective schools. This scheme is being expanded to further strengthen the foundation of school education by integrating the aspects of health, nutrition, school attendance and learning of students,” the official release said.
The expansion places the breakfast programme within a broader educational objective: supporting children’s nutritional needs while helping create conditions conducive to regular attendance and learning.
A government evaluation cited in reporting on the programme found improved attendance in a majority of participating schools, particularly in rural districts. Such findings offer a useful indicator of the programme’s potential, while the impact of the latest expansion will need to be assessed as it reaches the additional student population.
Two districts await rollout
The expanded scheme will not be implemented immediately in Chengalpattu and Tiruppur districts, where the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct is in force for the October 6 by-elections in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies, respectively.
The postponement of the original September 17 launch to September 22 was linked to Vijay’s official investment visit to London.
Food for thought
A breakfast programme is more than a meal served before the school bell. Its larger promise lies in connecting nutrition with the opportunity to learn, participate and progress.
As Tamil Nadu extends the initiative to middle-school students, the next measure of its reach will be how effectively meals are delivered across schools, how consistently children receive them and what the programme contributes to attendance, wellbeing and learning over time.
