M K Stalin.
Credit: PTI Photo
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday launched the expansion of the breakfast scheme for primary school children to state-aided private schools.
Inaugurating the scheme at St Anne's school in Tiruvallur district, Stalin sat alongside the children and served them food and also ate with them.
The scheme's expansion also marks the birth anniversary of late Chief Minister K Kamaraj, which is observed as 'Kalvi Valarchi Naal,' (Education Development Day) by the state government.
The move will benefit 2,23,536 children in 3,995 government-aided primary schools across the state, the government said.
When the chief minister inaugurated the breakfast scheme on September 15, 2022, 1.14 lakh students in Classes 1 to 5 studying in 1,545 government primary schools were covered under the scheme.
With the expansion of the scheme across the state on August 25, 2023, about 18.50 lakh students in all the 30,992 state-run primary schools were brought under the initiative's cover.
By bringing aided schools under the scheme's ambit, in total, about 21.87 lakh students will be benefitted. Also, the scheme will be operational in both government and state-aided primary schools.