{"id":6792,"date":"2026-07-30T10:32:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T10:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=6792"},"modified":"2026-07-30T10:32:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T10:32:04","slug":"why-a-chicken-biryani-demand-for-tamil-nadu-schools-is-making-headlines-across-india-chennai-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=6792","title":{"rendered":"Why a chicken biryani demand for Tamil Nadu schools is making headlines across India | Chennai News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-132735779,imgsize-178052,width-400,height-225,resizemode-75\/in-tamil-nadu-the-noon-meal-initiative-is-exploring-the-addition-of-chicken-biryani-to-its-menu-representative-image-generated-using-ai.jpg\" alt=\"Why a chicken biryani demand for Tamil Nadu schools is making headlines across India\" title=\"In Tamil Nadu, the noon-meal initiative is exploring the addition of chicken biryani to its menu (Representative image generated using AI)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"In Tamil Nadu, the noon-meal initiative is exploring the addition of chicken biryani to its menu (Representative image generated using AI)\">In Tamil Nadu, the noon-meal initiative is exploring the addition of chicken biryani to its menu (Representative image generated using AI)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>CHENNAI: The possibility of chicken biryani being included in Tamil Nadu\u2019s iconic noon-meal programme has generated interest far beyond the school campuses.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"1\"\/>While the proposal may seem like an exercise in adding a popular dish to the weekly menu, the conversations around it are part of a much bigger conversation on nutrition, student welfare, teacher concerns and the future of one of India\u2019s oldest and most influential school feeding programmes.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>Tamil Nadu school education minister A Rajmohan, speaking after representations from teachers\u2019 and non-teaching staff associations at consultations in Chennai, said the state government was considering the suggestion.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"6\"\/>This debate is not just about changing the menu, it\u2019s about making school meals more appealing.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"8\"\/>Tamil Nadu has been a forerunner in school nutrition for a long time.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/>The state\u2019s noon-meal scheme has been evolved over decades with successive governments expanding coverage and nutritional content.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>Over the years, eggs, bananas and other supplements have been introduced to improve children&#8217;s nutrition and encourage school attendance.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/>In that sense, many view the demand to serve chicken biryani at least once a week not as a menu change but as yet another possible evolution of the programme.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/>Whether this will ultimately be accepted will depend on financial, nutritional and logistical considerations, but the discussion itself underlines how school meals continue to be central to education policy.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"21\"\/>One of the largest school meal networks in the country is in Tamil Nadu.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/>According to the PM POSHAN management system, the state has more than 45,000 schools under the programme and the enrolment is more than 4.15 million students.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/>This is an indication of the scale on which any menu modification would have to be implemented.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"27\"\/>Even one time a week would demand planning for procurement, storage, food safety and distribution to thousands of schools simultaneously.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>Apart from food, teachers raised various long pending issues in the meeting.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"32\"\/>Interestingly, the biryani proposition was only one of the demands made to the minister.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"34\"\/>Representatives of over 150 teachers and non-teaching staff associations also demanded regularisation of about 11,773 part-time teachers who have been working under Samagra Shiksha for about 16 academic years in subjects like physical education, drawing, computer science and sewing.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/>They demanded reduction of qualifying marks in Teacher Eligibility Test, revision of pay for secondary grade teachers and restoration of old pension scheme.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"39\"\/>Teachers\u2019 bodies have also pointed to vacancies in the elementary sections of model schools, saying that while posts for higher classes have been filled, younger students are still facing shortages.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"41\"\/>On the huge number of representations, Rajmohan said the government would digitise all petitions through dedicated software to track every demand electronically.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"44\"\/>The petitions will be classified and associations will be able to follow up the status of action taken on each request, an administrative step to improve transparency and follow-up, he said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"46\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h3>A continually evolving programme to meet changing expectations<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"48\"\/>School meal programmes across India are increasingly being asked to do double duty \u2013 improve nutrition, support classroom attendance, reduce dropouts and promote better learning outcomes.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"51\"\/>The Centre\u2019s PM POSHAN scheme continues to cover around 11.8 crore children in government and aided schools across the country, making it one of the world\u2019s largest school feeding programmes.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"54\"\/>States have often introduced their own innovations within that larger framework, based on local dietary preferences and nutritional priorities.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"56\"\/>Whether chicken biryani will finally be on the menu of Tamil Nadu&#8217;s noon-meal scheme remains to be seen.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"58\"\/>But the debate has already made one salient point: the conversation about school meals today extends far beyond what\u2019s on the plate.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"60\"\/>These range from nutrition, student participation, administrative efficiency, teacher welfare and the continuous evolution of a program that has shaped generations of school children in the state.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/city\/chennai\/why-a-chicken-biryani-demand-for-tamil-nadu-schools-is-making-headlines-across-india\/articleshow\/132735220.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Tamil Nadu, the noon-meal initiative is exploring the addition of chicken biryani to its menu (Representative image generated using AI) CHENNAI: The possibility of chicken biryani being included in Tamil Nadu\u2019s iconic noon-meal programme has generated interest far beyond the school campuses.While the proposal may seem like an exercise in adding a popular dish 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