Chief Minister Stalin Expands Nutritious Breakfast Scheme to All Government-Aided Primary Schools in Urban Areas

The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr. M.K. Stalin, today (26.08.2025) formally expanded the Chief Minister’s Nutritious Breakfast Scheme to cover all students of Classes 1 to 5 studying in government-aided primary schools in municipal corporations, municipalities, and town panchayats across urban local bodies.

The launch event was held at St. Joseph’s Primary School, Mylapore, Chennai, in the presence of Hon’ble Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Bhagwant Mann and Hon’ble Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin. To mark the expansion, the Hon’ble Tamil Nadu Chief Minister personally served breakfast to students.

Background of the Scheme

Hon’ble Chief Minister Stalin first announced the Chief Minister’s Nutritious Breakfast Scheme in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on 7.5.2022, under Rule 110. He highlighted that many children, especially in poor families, were skipping breakfast due to long distances to school or adverse family conditions, affecting their learning and nutrition.

The scheme’s primary objectives are:

• Ensuring children do not attend school hungry.
• Preventing malnutrition.
• Improving students’ nutrition levels.
• Increasing enrollment and attendance.
• Reducing the burden on working mothers.

Implementation Timeline

• Phase 1 (15.09.2022): Launched on the birth anniversary of Arignar Anna, with the Chief Minister serving breakfast to students at a Chennai Corporation school.
• 2022–2023: Implemented in 1,545 schools across 38 districts, covering 1,14,095 students with an allocation of ₹33.56 crore.
• 28.02.2023: Extended to 1,005 urban centers (1,12,883 students) and 963 rural centers (41,225 students).
• 25.08.2023: Expanded to all government primary schools.
• 15.07.2024: On the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj, the scheme was further extended to 3,995 government-aided primary schools in rural areas, benefiting 2,23,536 students.

As of now, the scheme is implemented in 34,987 schools, covering 17.53 lakh students daily.

Survey Findings

Independent third-party evaluations and official monitoring reports have confirmed:

• Significant increase in school attendance.
• Noticeable improvement in children’s focus and learning outcomes.
• More than 90% of children show improved memory and cognitive development.
• High satisfaction among both students and parents.

Mothers, in particular, expressed relief as the scheme reduced household expenses and cooking burden while ensuring their children’s health, happiness, and concentration.

Current Expansion

In line with the 2025–26 Budget Announcement, the scheme has now been expanded to include 2,430 government-aided primary schools in urban local body areas, covering Classes 1 to 5. With this expansion, over 3.06 lakh additional students will benefit from free nutritious breakfast daily.

Today, Hon’ble Chief Minister Mr. M.K. Stalin officially launched this urban expansion in the presence of Hon’ble Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Bhagwant Mann, who praised Tamil Nadu’s welfare initiatives and announced that Punjab would also adopt this scheme.

Dignitaries Present

The event was attended by:

• Hon’ble Minister for Social Welfare & Women Empowerment Mrs. Geetha Jeevan
• Hon’ble Minister for Dairy Development Mr. R.S. Rajakannappan
• Hon’ble Minister for Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Mr. P.K. Sekar Babu
• Hon’ble Minister for Health & Family Welfare Mr. Ma. Subramanian
• Mayor of Greater Chennai Corporation Mrs. R. Priya
• CPI State Secretary Mr. R. Mutharasan
• AAP Tamil Nadu State Convenor Mr. Vaseekaran
• MPs Mrs. Kanimozhi, Mrs. Thamizhachi Thangapandian, Mr. Kalanidhi Veerasamy
• Hon’ble Punjab CM’s spouse Mrs. Gurpreet Kaur Mann
• Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Director, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation
• MLAs, senior IAS officers, local body representatives, school teachers, and students.

Issued by:
Director, Department of Information & Public Relations, Chennai-9