<p>Set to be launched from next month, the Tamil Nadu government has appointed a young bureaucrat as the Project Coordination Officer to implement the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme for students from class one to five in government schools.</p>.<p>K Elambahavath, who is credited with successfully implementing the Illam Thedi Kalvi (School at Doorsteps) programme of the state government, will be the Project Coordinator Officer for the scheme likely to be launched by Chief Minister M K Stalin on September 15. </p>.<p>“Considering the views of the Social Welfare Department, the Government has appointed K Elambahavath as the Project Coordinator Officer for the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme,” a GO signed by Shambu Kallolikar, Additional Chief Secretary, Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department, read.</p>.<p>The scheme, for which Rs 34 crore has been sanctioned, will benefit as many 1.14 lakh students in over 1,500 schools in cities, towns, villages, and far-flung areas in the first phase. It will be gradually extended to other government schools across the state. </p>.<p>The GO said the Project Coordination Officer will work with officers concerned to implement the ambitious scheme and ensure that the ingredients for the breakfast be prepared by officials of the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC). </p>.<p>“The Project Coordination Officer will also find ways to procure vegetables and millets available in the area and finalise the places where the breakfast will be cooked. He will also ensure that monitoring committees are constituted at school-level and monitor the implementation of the project online,” the GO further read. </p>.<p>The government has already asked district administrations to make necessary arrangements to cook breakfast in community kitchens or inside school premises and get them ready by 7:30 am. The food will have to be served to students by 8.30 am so that the classes can begin on time. </p>.<p>According to the menu prepared by the government, students will be served upma, kichadi, or pongal from Monday to Friday, while rava kesari or semiya kesari will be added to the food menu on Friday. Millets will also be part of the menu for at least two days in a week.</p>.<p>The scheme was announced by Stalin on the floor of the Tamil Nadu Assembly on May 7 coinciding with the first anniversary of his government. The official said the scheme was conceived after the government received several complaints on students in many places coming to schools without having their breakfast. </p>.<p>The first phase of the scheme will be implemented in 1,545 schools benefitting 1.14 lakh children. Of the 1,545 schools, 417 are in cities, 163 are in towns/district headquarters, 728 in rural areas and 237 in far-flung/hilly areas. </p>.<p>Tamil Nadu has had a long history of providing food to students at schools -- the mid-day meals scheme, which is now being implemented across the country, was first conceived by the Justice Party dispensation which provided free meals to school children in government schools in Chennai. </p>.<p>The free breakfast scheme is an extension of the mid-day meals scheme which was bettered by successive post-Independence states governments led by K Kamaraj, M Karunanidhi, M G Ramachandran, and J Jayalalithaa. </p>.<p>While Kamaraj extended the mid-day meals scheme from Chennai to the rest of the state, MGR expanded it further by providing nutritious meals to children between 2-9 years old. Karunanidhi added eggs on all days to the menu and bananas for children who don’t eat eggs, while Jayalalithaa introduced variety rice. </p>
<p>Set to be launched from next month, the Tamil Nadu government has appointed a young bureaucrat as the Project Coordination Officer to implement the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme for students from class one to five in government schools.</p>.<p>K Elambahavath, who is credited with successfully implementing the Illam Thedi Kalvi (School at Doorsteps) programme of the state government, will be the Project Coordinator Officer for the scheme likely to be launched by Chief Minister M K Stalin on September 15. </p>.<p>“Considering the views of the Social Welfare Department, the Government has appointed K Elambahavath as the Project Coordinator Officer for the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme,” a GO signed by Shambu Kallolikar, Additional Chief Secretary, Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department, read.</p>.<p>The scheme, for which Rs 34 crore has been sanctioned, will benefit as many 1.14 lakh students in over 1,500 schools in cities, towns, villages, and far-flung areas in the first phase. It will be gradually extended to other government schools across the state. </p>.<p>The GO said the Project Coordination Officer will work with officers concerned to implement the ambitious scheme and ensure that the ingredients for the breakfast be prepared by officials of the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC). </p>.<p>“The Project Coordination Officer will also find ways to procure vegetables and millets available in the area and finalise the places where the breakfast will be cooked. He will also ensure that monitoring committees are constituted at school-level and monitor the implementation of the project online,” the GO further read. </p>.<p>The government has already asked district administrations to make necessary arrangements to cook breakfast in community kitchens or inside school premises and get them ready by 7:30 am. The food will have to be served to students by 8.30 am so that the classes can begin on time. </p>.<p>According to the menu prepared by the government, students will be served upma, kichadi, or pongal from Monday to Friday, while rava kesari or semiya kesari will be added to the food menu on Friday. Millets will also be part of the menu for at least two days in a week.</p>.<p>The scheme was announced by Stalin on the floor of the Tamil Nadu Assembly on May 7 coinciding with the first anniversary of his government. The official said the scheme was conceived after the government received several complaints on students in many places coming to schools without having their breakfast. </p>.<p>The first phase of the scheme will be implemented in 1,545 schools benefitting 1.14 lakh children. Of the 1,545 schools, 417 are in cities, 163 are in towns/district headquarters, 728 in rural areas and 237 in far-flung/hilly areas. </p>.<p>Tamil Nadu has had a long history of providing food to students at schools -- the mid-day meals scheme, which is now being implemented across the country, was first conceived by the Justice Party dispensation which provided free meals to school children in government schools in Chennai. </p>.<p>The free breakfast scheme is an extension of the mid-day meals scheme which was bettered by successive post-Independence states governments led by K Kamaraj, M Karunanidhi, M G Ramachandran, and J Jayalalithaa. </p>.<p>While Kamaraj extended the mid-day meals scheme from Chennai to the rest of the state, MGR expanded it further by providing nutritious meals to children between 2-9 years old. Karunanidhi added eggs on all days to the menu and bananas for children who don’t eat eggs, while Jayalalithaa introduced variety rice. </p>
