Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay shared a meal with school students during the expansion of the state’s free breakfast programme to Classes 6 to 8, marking a significant extension of the initiative to middle-school students.
The Chief Minister interacted with students during the programme and joined them for breakfast, drawing attention to the importance of ensuring that children begin their school day with access to a nutritious meal. The visuals of Vijay sitting alongside students and sharing breakfast have attracted attention on social media.
Under the expanded Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme, students studying in Classes 6, 7 and 8 in eligible government and government-aided schools will also receive free morning meals. The expansion is expected to benefit a large number of additional students across Tamil Nadu.
The breakfast programme was initially introduced to support younger schoolchildren by providing them with a morning meal before or during school hours. With its extension to middle-school classes, the scheme now covers students from Classes 1 to 8 in participating schools.
The initiative is intended to address nutritional needs among schoolchildren while also supporting regular school attendance and helping students concentrate better during classroom activities. The government has allocated additional funds for implementing the expanded programme across the state.
During the launch event, Vijay also interacted with students and observed the arrangements made for serving breakfast. His decision to sit with the children and share the meal became one of the key moments of the event.
The expansion of the breakfast scheme comes as Tamil Nadu continues to focus on school welfare and nutrition-related programmes. With thousands of additional students coming under the initiative, the programme is expected to provide greater access to morning meals for middle-school children across