Tamil Nadu breakfast scheme expands to Classes 6-8, SHGs to run kitchens

The Tamil Nadu Women Development Corporation has issued a standard operating procedure for extending the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme to students of Classes 6 to 8 in government and aided schools across the state.

Under the guidelines, breakfast will be prepared and served by selected members of self-help groups associated with the State Rural Livelihoods Mission.

Applicants should have at least three years of experience in an SHG, live in the same village or town panchayat where the school is located and possess basic cooking skills. Their children should also be studying in the school concerned.

Selected members should have studied up to Class 10. However, the minimum qualification has been relaxed to Class 8 in hilly, tribal and remote regions.

They should own an Internet-enabled Android phone and have a satisfactory record of repaying bank or federation loans.

Before the programme begins, SHG members must complete training in cooking, food safety, hygienic handling, register maintenance and data submission through the scheme’s mobile application.

Training on the approved menu must be completed at least 15 days before implementation. Cooking should begin at 6 a.m. and be completed by 8 a.m. Hot breakfast must be served between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.

Utensils should then be cleaned, with workers leaving the school by 9.30 a.m. Rice, pulses, cooking oil and salt cannot be purchased locally and must be supplied through the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation. Vegetables may be sourced locally or cultivated in school and panchayat gardens.

Schools with fewer than 10 students may receive food from nearby larger cooking centres.

SHG members delivering breakfast to such schools will be paid Rs 1,500 as a distribution charge.

The SOP also requires daily registers, photographic reporting through the mobile application, preservation of food samples, regular inspections, independent evaluations and social audits to ensure quality, hygiene and accountability.

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