The Tamil Nadu Women Development Corporation has issued a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) to extend the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme to students of Classes 6 to 8 in government and government-aided schools across Tamil Nadu. The move significantly widens the scheme's reach, bringing free morning meals to older students who were previously excluded from the programme.

Who Will Prepare and Serve the Meals

Breakfast will be prepared and served by selected members of self-help groups (SHGs) affiliated with the State Rural Livelihoods Mission. To qualify, applicants must have a minimum of three years of SHG membership, reside in the same village or town panchayat as the school, and demonstrate basic cooking skills. Their children must also be enrolled in the school where they will serve.

The minimum educational qualification is Class 10, though this has been relaxed to Class 8 for applicants in hilly, tribal, and remote areas. Candidates must also own an Internet-enabled Android phone and maintain a satisfactory loan-repayment record with their bank or federation.

Training and Operational Guidelines

Before the programme launches, SHG members must complete mandatory training covering cooking, food safety, hygienic handling, register maintenance, and data submission via the scheme's dedicated mobile application. Training on the approved menu must be completed at least 15 days before implementation begins.

Cooking must commence by 6 am and conclude by 8 am. Hot breakfast is to be served between 8 am and 9 am, with utensils cleaned and workers leaving school premises by 9.30 am.

Supply Chain and Sourcing Rules

Core ingredients — rice, pulses, cooking oil, and salt — cannot be procured locally. These must be supplied exclusively through the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation. Vegetables, however, may be sourced locally or grown in school and panchayat gardens, allowing for some community-level flexibility.

Schools with fewer than 10 students will not run independent cooking operations; instead, they will receive food from nearby larger cooking centres. SHG members responsible for delivering breakfast to such schools will receive a distribution charge of ₹1,500.

Accountability and Quality Checks

The SOP mandates a multi-layered accountability framework. Schools must maintain daily registers, submit photographic reports through the mobile application, and preserve food samples for inspection. The guidelines also require regular inspections, independent evaluations, and social audits to ensure consistent quality, hygiene, and transparency across all participating institutions.

This expansion builds on the existing Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme, which has been operational for younger classes, and represents one of the most structured mid-morning meal rollouts in the state's recent welfare history. With SHG empowerment at its core, the initiative also doubles as a livelihood support mechanism for rural women. Implementation timelines for the Class 6-8 rollout are expected to be communicated to districts shortly.