Chennai: Amid complaints of not being maintained properly, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday announced that Amma Canteens, a brainchild of the erstwhile AIADMK government, that sell food at highly subsidised price, across the city, will be upgraded at a cost of Rs 21 crore.
Stalin said Rs 14 crore will be spent on upgrading 388 canteens, including those in seven government hospitals, in Chennai, while Rs 7 crore will be allotted for replacing old utensils with new ones. The announcement came after Stalin visited an Amma Unavagam in Teynampet in the heart of Chennai and interacted with customers.
The canteens were first introduced in 2013 by the then-Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in Chennai, following which hundreds of outlets were opened across the country.
Amma Unavagam, over the years, has become a haven for under-privileged and bachelors due to its highly subsidised price – where an idli costs Rs 1, a plate of pongal sets one back by Rs 5, variety rice comes for Rs 5, curd rice and a plate of chapatti for Rs 3 each.
The model also served as an inspiration for several state governments who came up with their own versions of low-cost food outlets like Indira canteens in Karnataka, and NTR canteens in Andhra Pradesh.
Stalin’s visit to an Amma Canteen comes amidst complaints that the outlets are not being maintained properly with many injecting a political angle to it, saying they were being ignored because these canteens were launched during the AIADMK rule.
“On an average, 1.05 lakh people use these Amma Canteens in the city. In a year, food is served four crore times in these canteens. While rice, and wheat are supplied through Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC), a cooperative society in Triplicane provides vegetables, provisions, and gas cylinders,” Stalin said.
The government has spent Rs 148.4 crore in the past three years towards wages for members of self-help groups who run the canteens, while Rs 400 crore was released by Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), and Rs 69 crore was spent by the government on subsidy for rice and wheat.
An official release from the government said Stalin announced Rs 7 crore to replace utensils which are old and allotted Rs 14 crore to upgrade infrastructure in the canteens.
“The Chief Minister also advised ministers, MLAs, and representatives of local bodies to periodically visit Amma canteens in their areas to ensure their smooth functioning,” the release added.