Chennai(Tamil Nadu):Amid the coronavirus crisis, Amma Canteen's decision to provide food to the poor comes as a big relief. This move comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown following which prices of essential commodities shot up.
Started in 2013 under the leadership of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, Amma Canteen has chosen to help the poor and the needy during the lockdown period to ensure that people don't end up facing starvation.
Following the footsteps of Amma Canteen, many states have set up such canteens to feed the poor at this hour of crisis.
Run by women from various self-help groups (SHG) and supervised by municipal corporations, Amma canteen is subsidized canteen run by Tamil Nadu government which provides food at a very low price. The food items include South Indian menu which includes Idly, pongal, sambhar rice, lemon rice and curd rice.
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Not only the subsidized rates but the taste and hygiene also plays a major role in attracting the customers. While rice varieties are available at Rs 5, idli is served at Rs 1 and curd rice at Rs 3. The popularity of Amma canteens over roadside eateries made it a huge success reducing the profit of other vendors.
With the growing popularity of Amma canteen, economists started seeing it as a populist move. It played a key role in helping the needy at the time of natural calamity such as Chennai floods, Vardha Cyclone.
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However slamming the government's move of Amma canteens, opposition parties called it 'election dole'.But now with the passing time, Amma canteen has lost its value because of the poor maintenance and lack of attention by the state government.
