Tamil Nadu Breakfast Scheme Extended to Class 8: Check Weekly Menu, Benefits and Full Details

The Tamil Nadu government has expanded the breakfast scheme to cover students up to Class 8, which will benefit around 35 lakh schoolchildren across the state.

Chief Minister Vijay launched the expanded scheme today at a Chennai Corporation Middle School in Thiruvanmiyur where he served pongal to students and joined them for breakfast.

Tamil Nadu Breakfast Scheme

The breakfast scheme called Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme was first introduced in Tamil Nadu in 2022 in the DMK rule which initially covered students from Classes 1 to 5 in government and government-aided schools in the state.

At the time, around 19.34 lakh students across 37,447 schools benefited from the initiative.

After assuming power in May 2026, the TVK government renamed the scheme in July 2026 after former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Kamaraj. The scheme has now been extended to students up to Class 8 and will bring around 15.30 lakh additional students under its coverage.

The government has allotted Rs. 217.63 crore for 2026-27 to serve breakfast to 12.87 lakh students, based on an allotment of Rs. 12.71 per day for 210 days , according to the Official data.

What's on the Tamil Nadu Breakfast Scheme Weekly Menu

Students till class 8 will be served a different breakfast dish each day, according to the menu released for the scheme.

Monday: Upma
Tuesday: Khichdi
Wednesday: Pongal
Thursday: Upma
Friday: Sweet dish

Jayalalithaa's government extended the scheme by including a variety of meals along with masala eggs based on children's choice.

Hygiene Guidelines for School Kitchens

In order to main tain the hygiene, authorities have instructed that kitchens used to prepare meals and the areas where food is served to students must be kept clean and hygienic at all times.Maintaining cleanliness during food preparation and serving is an important part of ensuring that children receive safe meals at school.