Beloved Amma canteens being led into a dead end?

Amma canteens in Tamil Nadu face criticism for declining food quality and taste, despite initial success and affordability.

Amma Unavagam (Amma canteens) which was started in the cities of Tamil Nadu on February 24, 2013, by the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa have come in for criticism in the recent days for deteriorating taste and quality of the food served there. 

The idea was to provide food of good quality at affordable prices to people who otherwise had to buy food at a high cost from restaurants. When they arrived on the scene, people, especially daily wagers, thronged those places and were happy to have good food at cheap rates. But things have turned worse in the recent years. While people blame it on poor management of the canteens for the poor taste and patronage, it is also believed that there must be some ‘political motivation’ behind the decline. 

The 12 Amma canteens in Madurai, which were opened over a period of three years from 2013 to 2015, akin to other places in the State, served their best to feed people, mostly destitute and sick, during COVID-19 lockdown.  

As per official records, the canteens during the first lockdown in 2022 from March 23 to April 28 fed about 4.9 lakh people and the number increased in the next lockdown.  Despite the huge success over a decade of its operations, multiple reasons like fund crunch and poor management did result in its decline. And the taste has gone, says a daily wager Kali from K. Pudur.  

The 12 canteens, which are located in prime locations such as Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH), Bypass Road and Arapalayam, were patronised well. 

It was a path-breaking initiative that caught the attention of researchers and policy makers, as it broke the starvation chain in cities, says a doctor at GRH. “Studies show that the Amma canteens were frequented by school children, daily wagers, the destitute and gig workers. They could have a fill and still pay less in the face of spiralling prices of commodities,” the doctor says.  

They were maintained spic and span thanks to the women-run kitchens. They came as a godsend for families with less disposable income as they could buy tasty and nutritious food - sambar rice, curd rice, idly, etc., - at cheap rates too.