Chennai, June 16:
The Tamil Nadu government has announced the expansion of its flagship Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme to cover students of Classes 6 to 8, with the rollout scheduled for September 17. The date coincides with the birth anniversary of social reformer Periyar E.V. Ramasamy.
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay made the announcement after chairing a high-level review meeting on the functioning of the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department at the Secretariat. The meeting focused on assessing various welfare initiatives aimed at children, women, transgender persons, and senior citizens across the State.
Officials presented detailed reports on schemes implemented through departments such as the Social Welfare Department, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), and Child Welfare and Special Services. The review also covered the performance of nutrition centres, anganwadi services, child care institutions, welfare homes, and social protection programmes.
The expansion of the breakfast scheme is expected to significantly enhance its reach, benefiting middle school students in government schools. The programme, which has already shown positive outcomes, aims to improve nutritional levels among children while also boosting school attendance and learning outcomes.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister also reviewed proposals linked to the State’s ‘Vettri Tamizhagam’ vision document and discussed future welfare measures, including budgetary requirements for scaling up key initiatives.
In addition, the functioning of One-Stop Centres for women, adoption agencies, and helplines for women and children came under review. The Chief Minister stressed the need for timely delivery of welfare schemes and called for strengthening child protection mechanisms across Tamil Nadu.
Highlighting emerging concerns, he directed officials to intensify awareness campaigns against substance abuse among children and to enhance rehabilitation support systems for affected individuals.
The government’s move to expand the breakfast scheme underscores its continued focus on child welfare, nutrition, and inclusive education, positioning it as one of the State’s most impactful social initiatives.