Gujarat govt plans to replicate Amma canteen

A fortnight after a delegation from Egypt evinced interest to replicate the 'Amma Canteen' model in their country, a team of officials from Gujarat visited the state-run low cost food chain here on a similar mission.

Winding up the Chennai tour, Yogesh Patil of the Commissionarate of Employment and Training, Government of Gujarat on Friday said that it has been a "good experience to learn from the successful Amma Canteen model."

Hailing the pro-poor initiative as "excellent" S A Pandav, joint director and joint state apprenticeship advisor, Commissionerate of Employment and Training said the food and infrastructure in the canteens was good. He expressed keen interest in replicating the model back home in Gujarat.

Already, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan have shown interest in implementing the low cost food chain model in their respective States. Karnataka is also studying the scheme and contemplating to start such eateries in parts of the state. On June 1, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa ordered setting up of 360 more such canteens across Tamil Nadu and announced that these would start functioning soon. The announcement followed accolades from all sections of the society.

Chennai's 200 corporation wards already has one Amma canteen each. Now efforts are on to set up one more canteen in every ward. Similarly, 27 canteens will be set up in the premises of government general hospitals in district headquarters except towns which already has Amma canteens that provides food at highly subsidised rate.

Also, 129 canteens will be set up in 124 municipalities and Corporations of Dindigul and Thanjavur will have one each. The canteens serve idlis at the rate of Re one a piece and pongal at Rs 5 for per plate for breakfast, sambar rice at Rs 5 per plate and curd rice at Rs three per plate for lunch.