Self‑help groups to prepare meals under new Tamil Nadu breakfast SOP

In an effort to strengthen school nutrition, Tamil Nadu's Women Development Corporation has authorized Self‑Help Group (SHG) members to take charge of cooking and serving breakfast for students in grades six to eight. The SOP, tied to the Rural Livelihood Mission, specifies that SHG participants must have served at least three years within their groups, live in the same village or municipal ward as the school, and possess basic cooking expertise. Their children must also be enrolled in the same institution. Minimum education is set at the 10th‑standard level, with a relaxed requirement of 8th standard for tribal, hilly or hard‑to‑reach locations. Candidates need an Android phone with internet connectivity and a clean loan repayment track record. Before meals begin, members undergo comprehensive training covering food safety, hygiene, record maintenance, and the operation of a mobile reporting app. Training must finish at least fifteen days before the first cooking day. Daily preparation starts at 6 am, concludes by 8 am, and the hot breakfast is delivered to pupils between 8 am and 9 am. After service, kitchenware is cleaned and staff depart the school by 9:30 am. Core staples—rice, dal, oil and salt—are procured through the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation, while vegetables may be bought locally or cultivated on school or panchayat plots. Schools with fewer than ten students may receive meals from nearby larger cooking centers, with SHG deliverers compensated INR 1,500 as a distribution charge. The SOP also mandates daily registers, app‑based photo reporting, sample retention, routine inspections, independent audits and social audits to ensure strict quality and accountability.