No child should go to school hungry, says TN CM Stalin at breakfast scheme expansion event

CHENNAI: No child should go to school hungry, said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday after he launched the expansion of the breakfast scheme for primary school children to state-aided private schools, as reported by Daily Thanthi.

Inaugurating the scheme at St Anne's school in Tiruvallur district, Stalin sat alongside the children and served them food and also ate with them. The scheme's expansion also marks the birth anniversary of late Chief Minister K Kamaraj, which is observed as 'Kalvi Valarchi Naal,' (Education Development Day) by the state government.

Before launching the scheme, Stalin tasted the food to be served to children, to check its quality and paid floral tributes to Kamaraj.

The move will benefit 2,23,536 children in 3,995 government-aided primary schools across the state, the government said.

In his address, Stalin said in total, including children (classes 1 to 5) studying in government aided primary schools, over 20.73 lakh children everyday eat nutritious and delicious breakfast.

In his address, Stalin said in total, including children (classes 1 to 5) studying in government aided primary schools, over 20.73 lakh children everyday eat nutritious and delicious breakfast.

Addressing the people gathered, the CM said, "I stand before you with great joy...The opportunity to serve as the Chief Minister for the future of women and students in Tamil Nadu through various welfare programmes including the Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme and the 'Naan Mudhalvan' scheme. This has made me very happy."

He emphasised that it did not matter how much the government would incur in expenditure for the scheme but "no child should go to school hungry." 

"When officials discussed the fund allocation for the breakfast scheme, I asked them to refer to it as investment in nurturing the future generations," the CM said.

Quoting Tamil literature, he said saint Vallalar and savant Avvayar too had spoken on the importance of ensuring food to people and removing hunger and that goal is applicable to government too.

"The Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme has been started to ensure there is no impediment to students education. That is my intention," Stalin stated.

The breakfast scheme gives self-confidence to students, increases student-attendance and reduces dropout rate in schools. "There are many benefits from the breakfast scheme," he said.

The CM went on to add, "Despite the financial crisis of the state government, we have come up with the Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme and reduced the financial burden on parents. More than 20.73 lakh students have benefited from the scheme and are eating nutritious food. The people and beneficiaries say that the scheme is useful not only for the poor but also to middle-class families where both the parents work. Whether or not the press lauds such schemes of the Dravidian model regime, the people are appreciating it."

In a cryptic remark, he lashed out at what he described as the 'agenda of anti-people forces' and their fake narratives and asserted that such things will never succeed.

The breakfast scheme, which has brought laurels to the Dravidian model government, is being emulated by various states and outside the country, even in Canada, he said and asked officials, ministers and elected representatives to ensure quality at all times.

The CM then requested ministers, MPs, MLAs and other officials to ensure that the quantity and quality of food served under the scheme was maintained. "The food quality must not go down even a little in any school, in any town. Take special care in ensuring food quality in government and state-aided schools, the way you take care of quality food for your children."

The CM said he often makes surprise checks on food quality in state-run schools and asked officials to carry out inspections without any prior notice to ensure quality.

While Stalin inaugurated the scheme at St Anne's primary school at Keelacheri (Kadambathur union) in Tiruvallur district, ministers launched the scheme in other regions of the state.

After launching the scheme, the CM monitored the scheme implementation across the state by checking on the 'CM dash board.'

When the chief minister inaugurated the breakfast scheme on September 15, 2022, 1.14 lakh students in Classes 1 to 5 studying in 1,545 government primary schools were covered under the scheme.

With the expansion of the scheme across the state on August 25, 2023, about 18.50 lakh students in all the 30,992 state-run primary schools were brought under the initiative's cover.

By bringing aided schools under the scheme's ambit, in total, about 21.87 lakh students will be benefitted. Also, the scheme will be operational in both government and state-aided primary schools.

(With additional inputs from PTI)