Amma canteen patrons give thumbs up to AIADMK

Chennai: K Ravishankar, a daily wage worker in Teynampet, used to go to work on an empty stomach. But not anymore. He has never skipped breakfast, lunch or dinner ever since the Amma canteens, which provide food at a subsidised rate, opened shutters in 2013.
The 300 Amma canteens in the city have not only helped reduce hunger pangs of the urban poor but also enabled them to set aside money for other essential expenses like medicine and travel.At the beginning, there were only 15 Amma canteens in Chennai, and their number has now touched 300. "I use to spend 25- 35 for breakfast from a roadside eateries. But now I can get quality breakfast for less than 10 in these canteens. I am able to save more than 1,000 a month, which can be used for buying medicines," said Ravishankar at a canteen on K B Dasan Road.
With 15% of the 65 lakh population in the city - amounting to nearly 10 lakh people - below the poverty line, the success of the Amma canteens may help the ruling party overcome the anti-incumbency factor in the aftermath of last December's floods, at least in a few constituencies in the city.
Many regular visitors to the Amma canteens told TOI that they would vote for the AIADMK for launching this scheme. Sensing the popularity of the Amma canteens, the opposition DMK made it clear that if it comes to power, the scheme will continue under the name of 'Anna canteens'. Several working women professionals are also regular patrons of the canteens. "I will vote for AIADMK as the canteen is one of the good initiatives of this government. This is more safe, accessible, clean and affordable than normal eateries," said S Rupa, a resident of Korattur.
Though the canteens are popular, the city corporation has been finding it hard to manage them, raising questions over their future. In 2015-16, the corporation spent as much as 130 crore to operate them. A senior corporation official said that the government should ideally hand over the operation of the canteens to the social welfare department or an NGO. "It's not feasible for the already short-staffed corporation to run these canteens as our regular duties are getting affected," the official added.