The Greater Chennai Corporation’s Council passed a resolution to outsource to a private agency the State government’s flagship Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme in all its regions — north, central, and south — at the General Council Meeting on Wednesday, November 29, despite opposition from the Communist party members. The Corporation expects to save over ₹19 crore with this move.
Mayor R. Priya presented the memorandum to the Council, sparking opposition from the Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist).
According to the resolution, the government spends ₹12.71 per student per day under the scheme. Consequently, in the North region, based on Education Management Information System data as of May 16, 21,209 students in 125 schools in Zones 1 to 5, including those under the Adi Dravidar Welfare and Scheduled Tribes Welfare Department benefiting under the scheme, are fed for 230 school days at a cost of over ₹6.2 crore . Similarly, it costs more than ₹7.44 crore to feed 25,468 students in 164 schools under Zones 6-10 in the Central region and ₹5.36 crore for 18,353 students in 69 schools under Zones 11-15 in South zone.
CPI (M) Councillor of Ward 41 Vimala said that the current system was running smoothly in her ward and that outsourcing might introduce inconsistencies.
The works are to be monitored by Educational Officer, Additional Educational Officer, Assistant Educational Officer, Joint Educational Officer, Headmistress/Headmaster apart from the ward councillors.
CPI Councillor of Ward 42 M. Renuka stated, “Nearly ₹20 crore-worth plan is to be outsourced. Do not test on kids. Chennai Corporation was implementing the Breakfast Scheme by roping in self-help groups after allocating service kitchens and vehicles. Outsourcing will lead to carelessness, negligence, and delay.”
“Kids are not used to such food at home, which they enjoy here. Fines are listed, but, in the long term it will be difficult. If a kid suffers from some health condition, a fine of ₹1,000 in the first instance of identifying poor quality or even ₹3000 in the third instance of identification will not be sufficient as compensation. Amma Unavagam employees do not add food colours, excess pepper, baking soda, or unnecessary flour that might compromise the child’s health or taste. Privatisation is not right. A case in point will be the instance when officials of the Department of Food Safety sealed a canteen run by a private agency inside Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital,” the councillor said
She added that the works are already being monitored by the officials and councillors, and that with outsourcing there will only be additional burden as they have to check at multiple levels.
Previously, the scheme was operated by women self-help groups with kitchens in middle schools, Amma Canteen centres, and relief centres. Designated vehicles were used for transporting the food to the schools.
The flagship scheme, launched by Chief Minister M.K Stalin on September 15, 2022, benefits 17 lakh students of Classes 1 to 5, studying in 31,008 government schools across the State, at a cost of ₹404.41 crore, aiming to reduce hunger, prevent malnutrition, achieve average height in children, prevent underweight in adolescents, prevent anaemia as well as vitamin B12 deficiency, according to a press release.
