Archive · 22 Sep 2026
Vijay Expands Stalin’s Breakfast Scheme, Renames It Kamaraj Scheme
Tamil Nadu’s government is giving free breakfast to more schoolchildren.
The programme was started by MK Stalin’s government in 2022.
Vijay’s government will now include students up to Class VIII.
It will reach 15.30 lakh more students in thousands of schools.
The government will spend Rs 217.63 crore more, making the total cost Rs 724 crore.
It has also renamed the programme after Kamaraj, a former Chief Minister and Congress leader.
The DMK says Vijay’s government is only changing the names of its schemes.
Vijay’s supporters say expanding the programme and honoring Kamaraj are more important than who first started it.
The Vijay government will extend free breakfast to students through Class VIII.
The expansion will cover 15.30 lakh additional students in 15,454 government and government-aided schools.
The government has allocated an additional Rs 217.63 crore, bringing the scheme’s total cost to Rs 724 crore.
The former Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme, launched under MK Stalin in 2022, has been renamed the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme.
The renaming has sparked a political dispute between the ruling TVK and the DMK over credit for the welfare programme.
- Who
- The Vijay government, the previous MK Stalin government, the DMK, and Congress are central to the dispute.
- What
- Tamil Nadu is expanding its free breakfast programme to students through Class VIII and renaming it after Kamaraj.
- When
- The programme was launched in 2022, and the expansion was announced under Vijay’s government.
- Where
- Tamil Nadu, including government and government-aided schools; the expansion was inaugurated at Gandhi Gramam, Chennai Central School.
- Why
- The expansion is intended to provide food to children and support attendance, concentration, school retention, and educational outcomes, while the renaming gives the programme a new political identity.
DMK’s Credit Claim
TVK’s Expansion And Rebranding Claim
Who deserves recognition
DMK’s Credit Claim
DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan said the new government’s main action was changing the names of schemes launched by the DMK rather than creating initiatives of its own.
TVK’s Expansion And Rebranding Claim
TVK spokesperson Americai Narayanan said the government was focused on ensuring that people benefited from the programme and argued that naming it after Kamaraj was appropriate because he launched the school-meal initiative.
Meaning of the renaming
DMK’s Credit Claim
The DMK views the renaming as an attempt to take political ownership of a welfare programme associated with its government.
TVK’s Expansion And Rebranding Claim
TVK supporters present the renaming as recognition of Kamaraj’s contribution and part of establishing Vijay’s own welfare identity.
- New name
- Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme
- Previous name
- Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme
- Additional students
- 15.30 lakh
- Schools covered by expansion
- 15,454 government and government-aided schools
- Additional allocation
- Rs 217.63 crore
- Total cost
- Rs 724 crore
- Expansion level
- Students up to Class VIII