Tamil Nadu: CM Stalin inaugurates free breakfast scheme for primary school students 

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday, September 15 inaugurated the free breakfast scheme for the government school students of Classes I to V at Madurai.

The Chief Minister, in his inaugural speech, said that in the first phase 1.16 lakh students will be provided free breakfast, as stated in a report by IANS.  Stalin said, "This will be further expanded. No one should think that this is a freebie. It's the duty of the government to do this," as per IANS. He said that no poor and underprivileged student should drop out of school for the need of food.

The Tamil Nadu government has chosen September 15 for inaugurating the scheme as this is the birthday of the DMK Founder-Leader and former Chief Minister, late CN Annadurai.

In the first phase, the free breakfast scheme will be implemented in 1,545 schools. The free breakfast includes Pongal, Khichdi, Upma and on Fridays, a sweet will be provided in addition to the regular breakfast which is either rava kesari or semya kesari, as per IANS. 

A total of 417 schools located in municipal corporations, 163 schools in municipalities, 728 schools in village panchayats and 237 schools in interiors of the state and hilly areas will be covered under the first phase of the scheme.

To recall, it was on July 27 that Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin, announced that the government school children studying in Classes I to V across Tamil Nadu will be offered free breakfast. This is apart from the nutritious midday meal that it has been providing over the years.

Rs 33.56 crore was already allotted by the state government for implementing the scheme. In the first phase, the scheme will be launched in a few districts and hamlets of Tamil Nadu through the respective local government bodies, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.

A total of 1,14,095 students from 1,545 schools across the state have been identified for the scheme in the first phase. Among them, Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) has the highest number of beneficiaries for the scheme in the state.