Initiatives/ Scheme
Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme – Tamil Nadu
-
- Context: The Chief Minister has announced the expansion of the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme to cover students up to the 8th standard.
- He has directed Social Welfare Department officials to take steps to launch this expanded scheme on September 17, the birth anniversary of Periyar.
- The Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme was originally introduced in government primary schools for students in classes 1 through 5 during the previous administration.
- The scheme was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister on September 15, 2022, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Anna.
- Subsequently, the scheme was extended to government-aided primary schools; the Chief Minister inaugurated this expansion on August 25, 2023. Currently, 17.55 lakh students are benefiting from the scheme.
About the Scheme
- Tamil Nadu became the first State in India to introduce a government-funded breakfast programme for schoolchildren.
- It is a social welfare initiative aimed at improving the nutrition and health of students in government schools.
- The scheme was formally launched by the Tamil Nadu Government on 15 September 2022, the birth anniversary of Perarignar Anna, at Madurai.
Objectives
- To provide nutritious breakfasts to children studying in primary schools.
- To ensure that students do not attend school on an empty stomach.
- To enhance children’s health, concentration, self-confidence, and learning outcomes.
- To strengthen and complement the existing school nutrition programmes in the State.
Beneficiaries and Implementation
- The scheme covers students of Classes I to V.
- Around 1.14 lakh students benefited from the first phase.
- The programme is implemented through local bodies and is intended to be expanded across the State.
Food Menu
- Students are provided with cooked breakfasts weighing 150–500 grams, accompanied by sambar and vegetables.
- A separate menu has been prepared for each working day from Monday to Friday.
Need for the Scheme
- Many children leave for school early and often skip breakfast.
- Missing breakfast can lead to tiredness, irritability, and reduced attention in classrooms.
- The scheme aims to ensure that children receive the day’s most important meal before beginning their studies.
Evolution of School Meal Programmes in Tamil Nadu
- The world’s earliest school meal programme was initiated in Madras in 1920.
- The scheme was introduced under the leadership of Sir P. Theagaraya Chetty, who is regarded as the pioneer of the mid-day meal programme in Corporation school ofThousand Lights.
- In 1956, Chief Minister K. Kamaraj extended the free noon meal scheme across Tamil Nadu.
- The programme was inaugurated at Ettayapuram, the birthplace of Subramania Bharati.
- In 1982, Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran upgraded it into the Nutritious Noon Meal Scheme and extended coverage to Anganwadi children.
- The scheme was subsequently expanded to include children aged 5–9 years and later students from Classes VI to X.
- In 1989, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi introduced the provision of boiled eggs as part of the nutrition programme.
- The scheme, later named the Puratchi Thalaivar MGR Nutritious Meal Programme, was expanded to urban areas.
- During Jayalalithaa’s tenure (2011–16), variety meals and masala eggs were added to the menu.
- The Mid-Day Meal Scheme is a flagship school feeding programme of the Government of India.
- It aims to improve the nutritional status of children studying in primary and upper primary schools.
- India ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) on 11 December 1992, committing to ensure adequate nutrition for children.
- The scheme is backed by the National Food Security Act, 2013.
- It provides free cooked lunches on school working days to students across the country.
