The Tamil Nadu state government is working on a proposal to include chicken biryani in the menu of children's food in government schools one day a week. According to the directive of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, an assessment of the possibilities for large-scale implementation of chicken biryani and an analysis of the nutritional value of the school diet are being conducted.
It was clarified that this initiative will not be immediately launched across the entire state; first, a pilot project and necessary checks are planned.
The proposal was put forward by Education Minister A. Rajmohan, who emphasized the need to ensure children receive sufficient protein, stating that school meals should offer more nutritious and tasty alternatives than frequently encountered dishes like upma.
The minister noted that the final decision on chicken biryani will remain with the Chief Minister. As part of the government's plan, an assessment of children's needs for nutrients and proteins will be conducted with the involvement of pediatricians, dietitians, and nutritionists.
Furthermore, the issue of organizing large-scale food preparation, its delivery to schools, and food safety measures will be studied.
The government also assured that vegetarian options will remain available for children who do not consume non-vegetarian food, and chicken biryani will not be mandatory for all students. Minister Rajmohan confirmed that children who prefer vegetarian food will continue to receive appropriate nutrition.
Before including chicken biryani in the school menu, a testing and piloting phase will be organized. During this phase, hygiene conditions, the food preparation process, and the capacity to prepare large volumes of food will be checked. Only after the successful completion of these trials will a decision be made to implement the program across the state.
This initiative comes against the backdrop of the Tamil Nadu government expanding the Perunthalaiwar Kamarajar breakfast program, which covered about 15.30 million students in grades 6-8 starting September 22. This program is available in 15,454 government and government institutions.