At 1 pm on a hot Thursday afternoon, Amma Unavagams, also known as Amma Canteens, across Chennai began serving food free of cost. This, after the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) announced on Thursday that it would provide food free of cost at all Amma Unavagams till the end of the lockdown period (May 3) with the help of donations.
Launched in 2013 by then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the flagship scheme has seen reduced patronage recently and was even running at a loss prior to the lockdown. Thursday’s announcement, however, has seen many patrons return to the subsidised eateries.
“More people started to visit the Amma Unavagam from Thursday. As soon as the Corporation announced free food, people rushed to the canteen. But we are well-prepared to handle the crowd,” said an Amma Unavagam worker in West Cooum River Road.
The canteens, which were producing 150 idlis until Wednesday as against their regular total of 200 idlis, started making 200 or more idlis. Anticipating crowds, one worker said, “We are also making additional quantities of food for lunch.”
Most of the employees working across the 407 Amma Unavagams in Tamil Nadu are women from self-help groups (SHGs). The women begin work day at 5 am with their responsibilities including cooking and cleaning. They finish these tasks by 6.30 am and open the counters at 7 am to serve piping hot food which is mostly idli and pongal. They also make lunch which includes sambar rice, curd rice and lemon rice. For dinner, the canteens serve chapati or pongal.
The announcement from the Corporation has come as a relief for many people, including migrant workers and daily wage labourers, who have lost their jobs during this lockdown.
Even as some Amma Unavagams were awaiting an official nod on Thursday afternoon, a government worker on COVID-19 duty said, “I am having food here but they are charging me. If they start serving free food, it will be of use to many.”
The women of Amma Unavagam work hard to maintain hygiene and ensure patrons adhere to social distancing norms. The canteens allow only two people to share a table; people in the queue are made to stand a few feet apart.
“We are always wearing our masks and gloves,” said one worker with her mask on at the canteen in Anna Salai.
Although Amma Unavagams do not encourage parcels and takeaways, workers are relaxing norms to reduce crowding. People bring their own utensils to take food from the canteens.
Interestingly, during the lockdown, Amma Unavagams have witnessed a surge in visitors who are government staff, volunteers and NGO workers frequenting the outlets while on duty.
Arivarasan, an NGO worker, has been visiting Amma Unavagams during the lockdown period. After distributing food parcels and essential items to people in Chennai Central and surrounding areas, he heads to the nearest Amma Unavagam for lunch.
“I like eating at Amma Unavagam. Usually, the food is good and the workers maintain good hygiene,” he said, eating the sambar rice, modestly priced at Rs 5.
As Arivarasan’s routine keeps changing, he has so far visited Amma Unavagams in Ramapuram, Alandur and Mambalam. “I was paying Rs 5 for the sambar rice or the lunch they were providing but now, I have free food here,” he said.
Arivarasan urged Corporation officials to consider providing the leftover food at Amma Unavagams to the needy. “The Corporation can arrange a vehicle, take the leftover food from the Amma Unavagams and distribute it to homeless people,” he suggested.
Speaking to TNM, one Corporation official said that they had witnessed a 5% increase in patrons since the announcement on Thursday. “We began providing the food as soon as the order was issued. We are getting really good responses for this. After the Corporation made food for free, 5% more people are visiting the canteen. Even in containment zones, people within the vicinity are having the food,” he said.
While the Corporation officials claim that more people are visiting the Unavagams, the restrictions on movement during the lockdown mean that not everyone can access the subsidised canteen. “I see fewer people visiting the canteen as many are unable to travel from their place,” said Arivarasan.
Illustrating his point, Arivarasan said, “I provide food to a person stranded in Mambalam, who is a native of Salem. His nearest Amma Unavagam is more than one-and-a-half kilometers away. Sometimes, we give him money but mostly, he prefers food being served to him as he is unable to commute the distance on a regular basis.”
Staff at the Amma Unavagams near containment zones said that not many people were visiting the outlets during the lockdown due to the restrictions.
With daily wage workers forced to stay indoors, the number of people visiting the canteens has reduced, said staff. Adding to this, the Amma Unavagam workers highlighted that during the lockdown, people were unable to pay the minimal amounts charged by the canteen. This, despite the food being at subsidised prices— Rs 1 for a plate of idli; curd rice, and chapatis with dal for Rs 3; pongal and sambar rice priced at Rs 5 respectively.
One worker at the canteen alleged that as some AIADMK leaders were serving free food at some Amma Unavagams, it was drawing away their patrons to those centres.
“People are unable to pay the bare minimum. Even before the Corporation’s announcement, certain political parties were providing food free of cost. Thus, many people were visiting those canteens. Now that the Corporation has uniformly decided to provide the food at all places, more people will visit in the coming days,” she said.
The DMK, the main Opposition party in the state, had earlier accused the ruling party of using the state-run initiative for political gain after AIADMK functionaries in across districts said they would sponsor food at Amma Unavagams. DMK chief MK Stalin said that the government was handing over the subsidised canteens ‘on a platter’ to the ruling party's functionaries.
On Friday, DMK MP RS Bharathi wrote to Chief Secretary K Shanmugam, urging the government to set-up more Amma Unavagams across the state and frame a scheme to enable the DMK and all interested political parties/voluntary organisations to participate in the distribution of food.