Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has expanded the state’s free breakfast programme to students of Classes 6 to 8 in government and government-aided schools.

The expansion brings around 15.30 lakh additional students under the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme, which was initially launched four years ago for primary school children.

Vijay inaugurated the expanded programme at a government school in Gandhigramam, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai, where he interacted with students and joined them for breakfast.

According to the state government, the latest expansion covers 7,537 additional government and government-aided schools. The initiative has received an additional allocation of Rs 217.63 crore for the current financial year.

With the expansion, approximately 34.64 lakh students from Classes 1 to 8 will now receive free breakfast across 44,984 government and government-aided schools in Tamil Nadu.

The total allocation for the breakfast programme has been increased to Rs 724 crore.

The scheme is aimed at providing nutritious morning meals to schoolchildren and supporting regular attendance and participation in classroom learning.

The expansion marks a significant increase in the coverage of Tamil Nadu’s school breakfast initiative, extending the programme beyond primary classes to include middle-school students.

The state government’s latest move places students from Classes 6 to 8 within the same breakfast programme already available to younger children.