Free breakfast scheme extended to government-aided schools in urban areas

Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu inaugurated the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme extended to the government-aided schools in urban areas of the district on Tuesday.

Along with District Collector R. Sukumar, the Speaker inaugurated the scheme at Seven Dolors Convent Primary School in Palayamkottai.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Appavu said late Chief Minister K. Kamaraj revolutionised the school education system in Tamil Nadu by opening thousands of schools in every nook and corner of the State and introduced free noon meal scheme to attract the children towards the schools and retain them in the schools for ever.

All Indian States and the entire world was looking in awe up to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who had introduced free breakfast scheme in government and the government-aided schools to give more thrust to the school education. Telangana had followed this system. Over 20 lakh children in 34,000 government-aided schools benefited.

After the scheme was introduced in 22 government schools being managed by Tirunelveli Corporation in the first phase, it was extended to 18 more government schools in the city in the second phase. In the third phase, 348 schools in rural areas were covered and the fourth phase benefited 416 government-aided schools in rural areas. In the fifth phase, 13,115 children of 210 government-aided schools in urban areas would be served breakfast everyday.

In all, 47,392 primary school children in 1,014 government and government-aided schools in Tirunelveli district would be benefited through the free breakfast scheme, he said.

“Even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Government is adamantly refusing to release the arrears of ₹2,152 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan to Tamil Nadu, which has seriously affected the ‘Education for All’ scheme, Mr. Stalin has allocated ₹50,000 crore for School Education Department to effectively take education to the grass root level. Despite the financial crunch being artificially created by the Union Government, Tamil Nadu is introducing more development schemes while registering enviable growth,” he said.

Tirunelveli Corporation Mayor G. Ramakrishnan, Commissioner Monika Rana, Palayamkottai MLA M. Abdul Wahab, Deputy Mayor K.R. Raju and Chief Educational Officer Sivakumar were present.

After inaugurating the scheme at Kaattu Bhava Middle School in Tenkasi, District Collector A.K. Kamal Kishore said 13,752 children in 140 schools in the district were being served breakfast.

In Kanniyakumari district, Minister for Dairy Development T. Mano Thangaraj and District Collector R. Alagumeena inaugurated the scheme at St. Joseph’s Convent Primary School in Nagercoil. A total of 35,303 children from 545 primary schools in Kanniyakumari district would be benefited under this scheme, the minister said.

Minister for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Anita R. Radhakrishnan inaugurated the breakfast scheme at Shanmugasundara Nadar Primary School at Vadakku Authoor along with District Collector K. Elambahavath. A total of 14,684 children in 178 government-aided schools in the urban areas of the district had been added to this scheme from Tuesday.