Chicken Biryani in School Lunch? Tamil Nadu’s Big Mid-Day Meal Makeover

Forget wheat upma. Tamil Nadu’s school lunch menu might be getting its biggest upgrade in decades — and it comes with a side of biryani.

School Education Minister A. Rajmohan has submitted a formal proposal to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to serve chicken biryani once a week under the state’s noon meal scheme, covering roughly 40 lakh children in government and government-aided schools. The Chief Minister is currently reviewing the plan, and officials say no final call has been made yet.

Why Chicken Biryani, Why Now

The push actually came from the ground up. Over 80 teachers’ unions raised the demand during a pre-budget meeting with the minister, asking for both better rice quality and a weekly biryani day — ahead of the Tamil Nadu budget on August 5. Rajmohan says the idea is backed by supporting data and aims to boost nutrition, make meals more exciting, and improve school attendance.

A Legacy Built One Leader at a Time

What Else Is on the Table

Alongside the biryani plan, the government wants to revamp the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme, currently running at about ₹15 per student, by swapping repetitive dishes like wheat and rava upma for more nutritious options. Any change will still need sign-off from the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department, which runs the noon meal programme alongside the Education Department.

Teachers’ associations have welcomed the move but want the scheme extended up to Class 12 — a step that could bring nearly 8 lakh more students under coverage.

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The Bottom Line

If approved, it won’t just be a menu change — it’ll be a symbolic one, adding Vijay’s name to a list of Tamil Nadu leaders who’ve each left a mark on the state’s school meal legacy.

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