Amma Canteen: Tamil Nadu Shows the Way

          Amma Canteen: Tamil Nadu shows the Way

                             Achyut Das

During my recent visit to Chennai, I had the opportunity to visit an outlet of Amma Canteen launched by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Mrs. Jayalalitha. I had read a lot about this historic effort and also had visited the websites to know more about that. I was excited that the Government is promoting these Low Cost Canteens to sell Idlis @ Re1/- per one, Curd Rice @ Rs.3/- per plate, Sambhar Rice @ Rs.5 and Pongal Rice  @Rs.5/- per plate. Anyone can have the breakfast and lunch which will cost Rs.18/- per person (5 Idlis for breakfast, Pongal and Curd Rice for Lunch). The Amma Canteen is planning in a big way to supply Chappattis too. In these canteens, any one can eat but can not take away outside. There are already 200 such canteen set up in all 200 wards of the City and  are being expanded to many cities of Tamil Nadu. Amazing!

I visited one of the Canteens early in the morning when the things are under preparation. One unit is managed by an SHG Group of 12 women and all are trained. Each one gets a salary of  Rs, 9000/- per month. Job chart is there for each one – cleaning, cutting the vegetables, cooking, and serving. There is fixed time for breakfast and fixed time for lunch. Idli mix has to be prepared one day before so that it is properly fermented. Each Canteen is designed with a lot of imagination to have place for cooking, store, dining space, and with proper water supply and electricity. Place is absolutely neat and clean. Huge cooking vessels are supplied. There is a water filter for every one to get pure water to drink after the meal.  Women are wearing caps.  Which is required while doing the work?  The provisions are centrally provided. One supervisor looks after the supply, accounts and over all management. There is quality control. This Canteen I visited is serving 5000 persons on average who are mostly labourers, auto-drivers, Masons, students, working class women etc. No hassles whatsoever.

I was trying to communicate with the women asking them a range of questions on their background, their training, salary, attitude and aptitude towards their work, drudgery of doing the same thing again and again and also the economics part. The women are happy that they are feeding 5000 people in two shifts. An air of affirmation is visible on their profile.

Is the Amma Canteen a correct approach to remove hunger and starvation? Is it confined to urban and peri-urban pockets catering to the need of the labourers pouring into the cities from the villages in search of livelihood? How much is subsidised? How long this kind of Public Sector ventures will survive? Is it the only alternative that   the rations  are supplied centrally?

I strongly feel that to combat starvation, hunger and malnutrition etc., such kind of Amma Canteens could be one of the strategies which the state can adopt. It is not free-food. It is affordable. It is part of the culture and not imported from outside or foreign countries like CARE feeding or Danish Biscuits or WFP food supplements. Tamil Nadu had the distinction of introducing Mid-day Meal in 80s under the leadership of the then CM late Mr. MG Ramachandran and the whole country adopted it.

Some critics of Amma canteen are asking about economics of the whole thing and unsustainability part of it. I think this is the best use of the subsidised rice and other food grains.  This could be another innovative way of ensuring Food Security for All. I think of Odisha where such canteens should be started in the high risk villages and Panchayats known for hunger and starvation deaths. Odisha is drowned with the ignominy of   Jhintu Bariha’s starvation death.  A time has come to do something so that the state does not allow any one to have starvation death. At least one such canteen is opened in every Block Headquarters of all KBK Districts to start with. I know there will be several questions like where is the infra-structure, assured electricity, water supply, trained women from the SHGs, supply line, quality control etc.. But if there is a political will, it can be arranged.

 We may not have Idlis and Pongal rice , but we can have Khichdi, Shattu, Murhi with curry, even rice and dal easily cooked and sold. It can be delicacies from the local millets which the tribal love. Odisha has a history of subsidising the corporate in thousands of crores. Why can’t it subsidise food for the hungry?