What this scheme offers
Started on 15 September 2022 as the Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme after it emerged that many children were arriving at school without having eaten, this programme serves a free hot breakfast — pongal, upma or kichadi with sambar, plus millet dishes — every school day before classes. It complements the noon meal scheme that Tamil Nadu has run since K. Kamaraj's era in the 1950s. The new government renamed it the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme and, on 22 September 2026, extended it to Classes 6–8, adding about 15.3 lakh students across 15,454 schools for a total of roughly 35 lakh children.
Who is eligible
- Students of Classes 1–8 in Tamil Nadu government and government-aided schools covered by the scheme.
- No income test and no application — every enrolled student in a covered school is included.
Documents required
- None — enrolment in a covered school is enough
How to apply
- No application needed.
- Breakfast is served at school every working day before classes begin.
- If your child's school isn't yet covered, ask the headmaster or the Block Education Office about the rollout.