CM Vijay to launch expansion of Breakfast Scheme on Sept 22

CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will inaugurate the expansion of the Breakfast Scheme, named after Perunthalaivar Kamarajar, on September 22 at Tiruvanmiyur here.

In a message on X, Minister for Social Welfare and Women Empowerment K Jagadeeshwari said the Chief Minister would inaugurate the expansion of the Breakfast Scheme to students of Classes 6 to 8. She said around 15.30 lakh students would benefit from the expanded scheme across 15,910 government and government-aided schools in the State.

Meanwhile, Secretary to the Social Welfare Department M Pallavi Baldev issued a circular to all District Collectors, stating that the scheme would be expanded in all districts except Chengalpattu and Tirupur, where the Model Code of Conduct was in force due to the byelections in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly segments. “Necessary preparatory measures on all aspects should be taken for the uninterrupted launch on September 22,” she said.

The government has allocated Rs 217.63 crore for the expansion of the scheme.

The scheme will be extended to 447 schools in Chennai, where the Commissioner of the Greater Chennai Corporation will oversee its implementation.

In the remaining districts, the implementation of the scheme will be monitored by the respective District Collectors.

The order also stated that the existing menu, operational guidelines and monitoring mechanism of the scheme would continue without any changes.

The scheme, originally introduced by the previous DMK government in 2022, currently serves upma, kichadi or pongal on weekdays, with rava kesari or semiya kesari added to the menu on Fridays. Locally available millets feature on the menu at least twice a week. The government spends upwards of Rs 12.71 per child on each breakfast.