Expansion of breakfast scheme futile without serving quality food, says Nainar Nagenthran

BJP State president Nainar Nagenthran on Tuesday (August 26, 2025) said without improving the quality of food served under the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme, the State government’s efforts to expand the initiative would not yield positive results.

In a statement, Mr. Nagenthran contended that providing breakfast to schoolchildren was among the provisions of the National Education Policy, which the State government had implemented.

Referring to recent incidents of food contamination in government schools at Dharapuram in Tiruppur district and Poonaairuppu in Tiruvarur district, he said these were only a few examples, and alleged discrepancies in the scheme “could run as long as the Great Wall of China.”

He said the food served should be nutritious and alleged meals cooked at distant locations often turned stale by the time they reached schools. “Does the State government believe that anything can be served as food since it is only poor children studying in government schools? Or does it think the flaws in the breakfast scheme can be hidden through false propaganda?” he questioned.