Type Restaurant chain Founded 24 February 2013 | Industry Restaurant services Products Food | |
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Genre South Indian Vegetarian Cuisine Services Subsidised low cost food Parent organization Greater Chennai Corporation Profiles | ||
Amma unavagam
Amma Unavagam (Tamil: அம்மா உணவகம்) is a food subsidisation programme run by the Government of Tamil Nadu in India.
Contents
- Amma unavagam
- Amma unavagam stall brings one rupee idlis to delhi jayalalithaa s big plan
- About the name
- About the scheme
- Menu and prices
- Controversies
- References
Under the scheme, municipal corporations of the state run canteens serving subsidised food at low prices.
Amma unavagam stall brings one rupee idlis to delhi jayalalithaa s big plan
About the name
The literal meaning of the name of the scheme Amma Unavagam is Mother's canteen. Amma translates to mother in Tamil, but is also a reference to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who introduced this restaurant chain as part of government schemes aimed at aiding economically disadvantaged sections of society.
About the scheme
The scheme requires municipal corporations in the state to establish canteens at multiple places in cities and sell subsidised food at very low prices. The first canteens were opened in several localities of Chennai, and later in other corporations of the state. Three of the ten canteens in Coimbatore are partially solar-powered.
Menu and prices
The food chains primarily serve South Indian food including idli, saambar rice, curd rice, pongal, lemon rice, curry leaf rice and also chappathi. The dishes are offered at low prices: ₹1 for an idli, ₹5 for a plate of sambar rice, ₹5 for a plate of "Karuvapellai Satham" (Curry leaves rice) and ₹3 for a plate of curd rice.
Controversies
It has been reported that massive losses are incurred by corporations by offering food at very low rates. As an example, the Coimbatore Municipal Corporation reported a loss of approximately ₹2.64 for an idli, ₹9.73 for a unit of sambar rice and ₹4.44 for a unit of curd rice, incurring a total loss of about ₹2.70 crore (US$400,000) a year. There was opposition in Tirunelveli to the appropriation of governments funds to this scheme. Concerns were also raised about the effects subsidised canteens can have on pushcart eateries, importantly that small business ventures may not be able to withstand competition from government subsidised low cost canteens on a long-term basis.