CM Vijay Expands Breakfast Scheme for School Students
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on September 22, 2026, launched the expanded Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme for students studying in Classes VI to VIII in government and government-aided schools across the state. The expansion will bring around 15.30 lakh additional students under the breakfast programme.
The scheme was launched at Gandhi Gramam Government Middle School in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai. Vijay served breakfast to students and later joined them for the meal. He also visited classrooms and interacted with students during his visit.
The breakfast served at the launch included pongal, sambar and a sweet. The wider programme will offer dishes such as upma, kichadi and pongal, with millet-based items also included in the menu.
According to officials, the expanded programme will cover 15,454 government and state-aided schools and add about 15.30 lakh students from Classes VI to VIII. With the expansion, the breakfast programme will cover students from Classes I to VIII across Tamil Nadu.
The state government has allocated an additional ₹217.63 crore for the expansion during the current financial year. This takes the total allocation for the breakfast programme to ₹724 crore.
The programme was originally introduced in 2022 for students in Classes I to V. It was later extended to more government and aided schools. The scheme has now been renamed the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme and expanded to cover middle-school students.
The breakfast will be prepared and served through different arrangements in urban and rural areas. In Chennai, the Greater Chennai Corporation will implement the programme through integrated kitchens. The Directorate of Municipal Administration will oversee implementation in other urban areas, while the Tamil Nadu Women’s Development Corporation will coordinate the programme in rural areas through self-help groups.
The government says the programme is intended to support children’s nutrition and help students attend school without hunger and concentrate better on their studies. The rollout, however, has been temporarily deferred in Chengalpattu and Tiruppur because the Model Code of Conduct is in force for Assembly by-elections in those districts.
The expansion marks a major increase in the number of students covered by Tamil Nadu’s free breakfast programme. The government has linked the initiative to student nutrition, school attendance and educational participation as the scheme is extended to higher classes.