Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced that Tamil Nadu’s free breakfast scheme for schoolchildren will be expanded to cover over 20.59 lakh students in government and aided primary schools across the state.
The official launch of this phase will take place on August 26, with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann attending as the chief guest.
Stalin said the initiative is aimed at improving nutrition, attendance, and learning outcomes among young children. He noted that Tamil Nadu has a long history of welfare programmes in education, beginning with the noon meal scheme introduced by former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj, followed by nutritious meal enhancements under M.G. Ramachandran and M. Karunanidhi.
The breakfast scheme was first launched in Madurai on September 15, 2022. It has since expanded to include nearly all government schools and aided schools, with over 18.5 lakh students benefitting by August 2023 and an additional 2.23 lakh students added in July 2024.