The Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme is a Tamil Nadu government initiative that provides free, nutritious breakfast to government and government-aided school students on all working days.

The scheme was originally launched as the Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme (CM BFS) in 2022 for primary students (Classes 1 to 5); the programme was renamed and expanded in September 2026 to include middle school students (Classes 6 to 8). 

The scheme covers Classes 1 to 8 in government and government-aided schools. The September 2026 expansion added 15.30 lakh students from Classes 6 to 8, taking the total beneficiaries to around 34.64 lakh students across 44,984 schools in Tamil Nadu.

The government has allocated an additional Rs 217.63 crore for the latest expansion. The total allocation for the breakfast scheme has been fixed at Rs 724 crore.

No separate application is required for students to receive meals under the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme. School administrations manage the daily headcount directly based on student attendance, ensuring seamless delivery without any paperwork for parents.

The existing menu continues under the 2026 expansion. The broad day-wise menu is:

• Monday: Upma variety with vegetable sambar

• Tuesday: Vegetable kichadi variety

• Wednesday: Pongal variety with vegetable sambar

• Thursday: Upma variety with vegetable sambar

• Friday: A sweet preparation such as kesari or sweet pongal, alongside savory items 

Millet-based preparations are included in the menu at least twice a week.

Each student is provided 50 gm of rice, semolina, wheat semolina or semiya and 15 gm of pulses per day.

Breakfast includes 150–200 gm of cooked food, along with sambar containing 100 mg of locally available vegetables. For at least two days a week, breakfast is prepared using locally available millets.

The scheme is intended to ensure that children attend school without hunger and receive nutritious food before beginning their classes. The government has linked the expansion to improving students’ nutrition, attendance and ability to concentrate on learning.

Yes, a menu review is currently under way, though no immediate changes have been implemented yet.

In September 2026, School Education Minister Rajmohan announced that the State government had formed a special committee to enhance the meals. This committee consists of culinary experts, a nationally known chef, educationists, and doctors who are working together to make the breakfast options more protein-rich and nutritious for growing children.

Before any new dishes are rolled out statewide, the government plans to test them first through local pilot projects to ensure students enjoy the taste and the kitchens can manage the preparation.

In Chennai, the Greater Chennai Corporation takes direct charge. They manage food preparation through modern, integrated centralised kitchens that deliver morning meals directly to 447 government and government-aided schools across the metro area. 

In other urban areas, the Directorate of Municipal Administration oversees the setup. They handle meal distribution using centralised kitchens covering 2,150 schools in secondary urban locations, town panchayats, and municipalities.

For the vast majority of local schools outside major metropolitan areas, the meals are prepared on-site by dedicated members of local women's Self-Help Groups (SHGs). 

The Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women manages this massive network, ensuring that SHG members successfully operate school-level kitchens across 12,857 rural and township institutions.

The Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) developed a dedicated mobile application, originally called the CM BFS app. It was later updated for the expansion and renamed as the PKBFS app, paired with a centralized web dashboard to monitor the quality of breakfast.

District Administration Inspections: Local authorities, including District Collectors and education department officials, conduct surprise early-morning spot inspections at school kitchens to taste-test food and evaluate ingredient freshness

School Management Committees (SMCs): Parents, teachers, and local committee members are authorised to audit kitchen cleanliness, check raw material storage, and monitor the general hygiene of the cooking environments daily

For a government-service grievance, complaints can be registered through Tamil Nadu’s CM Helpline at 1100. Grievances can be submitted digitally and tracked through the official CM Helpline Portal and complaints can also be registered via the CM Helpline mobile app available for download on smartphones.

1. Registration: The complainant needs to provide details of the issue via the helpline (eg: specific school name, date of the incident, issue with food quality, menu mismatch, or timing delays).

2. Routing: The helpline automatically assigns a tracking ID and routes the ticket to the concerned block, municipal, or district education officer.

3. Resolution & feedback: The assigned department is required to investigate the ground reality and resolve the issue within a mandated timeline, after which the complainant receives an update.