Overview

• Chief Minister M. K. Stalin launched the fifth phase in Chennai on August 26 at St Joseph’s Primary School, Mylapore, with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in attendance.
• The expansion adds roughly 3.6 lakh pupils across 2,429 government and aided primary schools in urban areas, according to additional chief secretary P. Amudha.
• With this phase, total coverage rises to 20.59 lakh students following earlier rollouts in 2023 and 2024 that broadened the scheme to aided schools.
• Breakfasts are prepared in centralized kitchens and transported by vans to campuses, with standard menus featuring Pongal, khichdi or upma served with dhal and sambar.
• The government presents the programme as tackling classroom hunger and strengthening learning as part of a wider student-welfare agenda that includes Illam Thedi Kalvi, high-tech labs and smart classrooms.