Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin launches free breakfast scheme for govt school children
The ‘Chief Minister’’s Breakfast Scheme’ will be implemented at a cost of ₹33.56crore in more than 1,500 government-run schools across the state from Monday to Friday
Tamil Nadu government rolled out the statewide mid-day meal scheme ‘Chief Minister’’s Breakfast Scheme’ on Thursday for government school students from classes 1 to 5.
Chief minister MK Stalin said they decided to introduce this scheme when they came to know that several children were coming to school without having breakfast.
Dear students, we will provide breakfast and lunch. So you don’t worry about anything. You study and study more,” Stalin said after the launch in a government primary school in Madurai district.
“Don’t drop out of education for any reason. I will not let that happen. You should study and make our society more intelligent. You must advance in all fields of study. Our Tamil community will progress only if you progress”, he said.
The breakfast scheme will be implemented at a cost of ₹33.56crore in more than 1,500 government-run schools across the state from Monday to Friday.
Around 1.14lakh primary government school children will benefit from this scheme.
Students will be served different varieties of upma, kichadi, pongal, and on Fridays, rava kesari or semiya kesari will be provided.
“We have set up a system where the children will first eat and only then will go to the classrooms,” Stalin said.
Launching it on the birth anniversary of C N Annadurai, founder of the DMK and the party’s first chief minister, Stalin said he was taking forward the ideals of his predecessors and Dravidian stalwarts that poverty and caste shouldn’t stop a child from receiving education.
The free breakfast scheme was part of the five major announcements made by the chief minister after the ruling DMK government’s one year in office on May 7 this year.
Reacting to the scheme AIADMK criticised it while ally PMK lauded it.
“This government rolls out schemes in grandeur functions but they don’t keep their promises,” said AIADMK spokesperson D Jayakumar.
“I know whatever chief secretary Irai Anbu writes is what he (Stalin) parrots. And I watched today’s event. They’ve bought new silver plates and a tumbler for the chief minister. Shouldn’t he have at least finished eating it fully? He ate a little and washed his hands on the plate. He wasted the food, insulted farmers who worked so hard for it.”
However, AIADMK’s ally PMK’s founder S Ramadoss said the scheme is a good start.
“We have succeeded in bringing children to school. Now this free breakfast scheme is essential to retain them in school,” said Ramadoss.
During the event, Stalin also honoured 85-year-old Kamalathal fondly known as ‘idly paati’ (idly grandmother) who sells an idli for ₹1 each in Coimbatore.
