- Scheme expanded to include Classes 6 to 8 students.
- An additional 15.30 lakh children will benefit statewide.
- Total budget for the scheme now reaches Rs 724 crore.
Tamil Nadu Breakfast Scheme: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday (September 22, 2026) launched the expanded Peruthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme for students in Classes 6 to 8, extending the state's free breakfast programme to nearly 15.30 lakh additional children across 15,454 government and government-aided schools.
The launch took place at a state government middle school in Gandhi Gramam, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai, where Vijay served breakfast to students and ate with them, before visiting classrooms and interacting with the children present at the event.
Scheme Now Covers Classes 1 to 8:
The programme, earlier limited to students of Classes 1 to 5, has now been extended to Classes 6, 7 and 8. With this expansion, the scheme covers approximately 34.64 lakh students across 44,984 government and aided schools statewide.
It was first introduced in 2022 for primary school students in government schools, later extended to aided schools, and subsequently renamed the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme.
Rs 217.63 Crore Additional Allocation
The state government has set aside an additional Rs 217.63 crore during the current financial year to fund the expanded programme. This takes the scheme's overall budget to Rs 724 crore, reflecting the scale of the middle-school rollout across thousands of institutions.
How Is The Breakfast Prepared?
Implementation varies by location. In Chennai, integrated kitchens supply breakfast to government and aided schools, and similar centralised kitchen arrangements are used in other urban areas. In rural regions, self-help group members handle preparation and daily supply of breakfast at the school level.
Aim: Nutrition, Attendance And Retention
The government has framed the programme as a nutrition and education initiative, meant to ensure students don't attend school hungry while also supporting attendance, learning outcomes and reduced dropout rates among middle-school children. Authorities have been directed to maintain strict hygiene standards at kitchens and serving areas, and to ensure students receive hot, nutritious and adequate meals daily.
The expansion marks a significant widening of Tamil Nadu's free breakfast initiative, moving it beyond primary schooling into the middle-school segment for the first time.