Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday, November 16, launched a free breakfast scheme for students of educational institutions run by the popular Palani temple. He inaugurated the scheme via video-conferencing from Chennai. 

About 4,000 students from two schools and four colleges, run by the temple, stand to benefit from this scheme. The educational institutions are situated in the Dindigul district of the state. The temple administration would bear the expenditure of the scheme. Idli, ven pongal, rava upma and kichidi with chutney and sambar would be served in the breakfast, as per a report by PTI.

"The students hail from places that are far away from their respective educational institutions and the move is also considering their economic situation," the government said in an official release. HR and CE (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments) Minister, PK Sekar Babu, Food Minister R Sakkarapani, who hails from the Dindigul district and other top officials were present at the inaugural ceremony of the scheme.

The Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swami Thirukoil in Palani, Dindigul, is popularly known as the Palani temple. It is administered by the HR and CE Department of the state government. In the Demand for grants to this department for 2022-23 presented in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the government announced the free breakfast scheme.

The state government already runs a free breakfast scheme for the students of government schools. Known as the Mudalamaicharin Kalai Unavu Thittam (Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme), it was launched on September 15 and is meant for students of Classes I-V, as per PTI.