The Tamil Nadu government is actively considering a proposal to serve chicken biryani once a week under its flagship midday meal scheme to boost nutrition levels and make school lunches more attractive to students.
Officials confirmed that any final decision will be made in consultation with the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department, which manages the state's noon meal program. The initiative aims to provide students with a protein-rich meal each week while supporting broader efforts to enhance student welfare and boost classroom attendance in government schools.
Alongside the potential addition of chicken biryani, authorities are also reviewing measures to upgrade the overall quality of food distributed under the program, particularly the grade of rice supplied to schools. Experts believe that higher quality meals play a crucial role in curbing classroom hunger while encouraging student enrollment and retention, particularly among children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The state currently provides midday meals to nearly 40 lakh students from Classes 1 to 10 across government and government-aided institutions, alongside the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme, which supports another 32 lakh children from Classes 1 to 8.
The state government is also evaluating plans to extend both the breakfast and midday meal programs to higher secondary students in Classes 11 and 12, a move that would benefit an estimated eight lakh additional children. Education experts and school administrators have long advocated for expanding nutritional coverage to older students, noting that reliable meal access helps reduce dropout rates, supports regular attendance, and improves academic focus. As a pioneer in implementing meal-based welfare initiatives, Tamil Nadu continues to strengthen its flagship programs to serve as a model for school nutrition nationwide.
(Inputs from IANS)