News Highlight
The Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme was rolled out for students in Classes I to V in government schools in Tamil Nadu.
Key Takeaway
- The breakfast scheme will be implemented at a cost of ₹33.56crore in more than 1,500 government-run schools across the state.
About Chief Minister’s Breakfast Program
- Initially, the scheme will be implemented in some municipalities, corporations, and remote villages.
- The students studying from Class I to V in government schools will be provided with nutritious snacks in the morning on all school working days.
Benefits of breakfast in schools:
- Nutritional security:
- The Nutri-cereals included in the breakfast improve the nutritional status of students.
- Improves the learning ability:
- Research shows that providing breakfast in schools improves students’ learning ability and increases attendance.
- Reduce obesity:
- The students often eat junk food, which is unhealthy and leads to obesity.
- The healthy foods provided through school breakfast keep children away from non-communicable diseases.
- Socialisation:
- Common dining and cooperation among students improve socialisation between different strata of students.
- Demographic dividend:
- A healthy and educated population is a demographic dividend for a nation, and they are more productive.
- Reduce public expenditure:
- Even though the government has to meet the expense of breakfast, in the long run, the government can reduce its spending on health.
- Participation of private:
- The companies can divert their corporate social responsibility (CSR) obligations to these schemes, and the government can reduce their spending.
Midday Meal Scheme
- About:
- The scheme guarantees one meal to all children in government and aided schools and madrasas supported under Samagra Shiksha.
- Students up to Class VIII are guaranteed one nutritional meal at least 200 days a year.
- It was launched in the year 1995 as the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP – NSPE), a centrally sponsored scheme.
- In 2004, the scheme was relaunched as the Midday Meal Scheme.
- Objective:
- The basic objective of this scheme is to enhance nutritional status and enrolment in schools.
- Nodal Ministry:
- Ministry of Education.
- Legal Entitlement:
- It is not just a scheme but a legal entitlement for all school-going children in primary and upper primary classes through the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.
Content Source: The Hindu