CHENNAI: As the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme is set to be expanded to all government primary schools from August 25, the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department has categorically rejected the request of noon meal workers to cook breakfast for the children.
To improve nutrition among children and in turn to reduce school dropout, Chief Minister MK Stalin launched the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme for students from Classes 1 to 5 across the state in September 2022.
As a pilot, the scheme was only implemented in a few schools. Now, as per the recent government circular, it has been decided to expand it to all government primary schools across the state.
The inauguration of the expanded scheme is to take place in Thirukkuvalai of Nagapattinam district by the Chief Minister on August 25.
However, since the launch of the scheme, the noon meal workers have been requesting the government to allow them to take over the scheme citing their previous experience of handling a similar scheme. But, a higher official with the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department speaking to DT Next said that the request of noon meal workers has been rejected.
“The request of noon meal workers to cook under the breakfast scheme has been rejected and there is likely no possibility to handover the breakfast scheme to them as they are already part of a major scheme,” the official added.
However, for smooth functioning of the breakfast scheme, as many as 28,000 Self Help Group (SHG) women have been employed across TN and salaries for them will be decided according to three different slabs by the Women Development Corporation.