Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay will launch the expansion of the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme for students of Classes 6 to 8 on September 22.
The decision was taken after a review meeting chaired by the Chief Minister.
The expansion is to provide breakfast to more school students and cater for nutritional needs. The programme is designed for children not to go to school on an empty stomach and to concentrate on their education, the government said.
With the latest expansion, the scheme will cover around 15.30 lakh students studying in 15,454 schools across Tamil Nadu. In addition to the standard breakfast programme, there are students in Classes 6 to 8 that will also be covered.
The state government has also increased the financial allocation for the scheme. An additional Rs 217.63 crore has been sanctioned for the expansion, taking the total allocation to Rs 724 crore.
The breakfast programme is part of the Tamil Nadu government’s mission to meet nutritional needs of school children and to promote regular school attendance and greater involvement on the part of teachers.
In order to keep hunger in check and keep them focused during the day, breakfast before classes is made a goal of the scheme.
#WATCH | Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay chaired a review meeting. He will launch the extension of the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme to students of Classes 6 to 8 on September 22 in Chennai. The decision was taken in the review meeting.
— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2026
The… pic.twitter.com/q1Fii8RLVV
The decision to extend the programme was taken based on a review of the current scheme. The launch in Chennai on September 22 will mark the next step in its expansion in which students from Classes 6 to 8 will be added to the beneficiary group.
The Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme is framed as a student welfare initiative that addresses nutrition and education.
Access to a breakfast can help students in the morning to start their school day with more energy and concentration, the government says.
The expansion will also require the programme to be implemented across a larger network of schools. With 15,454 schools and approximately 15.30 lakh students under the expanded coverage, the initiative is a significant increase in its reach.
The additional Rs 217.63 crore budget will facilitate the broader implementation of the programme. The total budget of Rs 724 crore reflects the government's increased expenditure on the breakfast initiative as its coverage expands.
The launch on September 22 is therefore expected to mark an important step in the implementation of the scheme.
Classes 6 to 8 will join the existing beneficiaries and the breakfast programme will be expanded to a larger group of schoolchildren in Tamil Nadu.
