Overview

• Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann launched the expansion at St Joseph’s Primary School in Chennai, serving breakfast to students.
• The new phase extends the programme to 2,429 urban government and aided primary schools, adding about 3.06 lakh pupils in Classes I to V.
• Total coverage now stands at 20.59 lakh children across Tamil Nadu under the state-funded morning meal initiative.
• Breakfasts are prepared in centralised kitchens and delivered by vans, with menus featuring pongal, kichdi or upma alongside dhal and sambar.
• Tamil Nadu has budgeted ₹600.25 crore for 2025–26 and reports gains in attendance and child health, while Mann said he will take the model to his Cabinet in Punjab by Wednesday.