Brand Amma becomes stronger -Governance Now

Brand Amma becomes stronger

After building Brand Amma in the previous term, the Jayalalithaa government is all set to ramp it up

Shivani Chaturvedi | June 23, 2016 | Chennai

#populist schemes #Tamil Nadu #Jayalalithaa #Brand Amma #Amma weekly market

Chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s populist programmes like the low-cost eateries Amma Unavagam or Amma canteens seem to have worked in her favour by ensuring that she comes back to power for the second consecutive term. The populist measures will now continue, with the latest being the Amma weekly market or Amma Varasandhai.

Addressing the assembly this month, governor K Rosaiah said that the Tamil Nadu government will continue to offer affordable essentials and services to the people under the ‘Amma’ brand.

The idea of coming up with this weekly market is to create a platform where the buyers can get best quality products at lowest price directly from the manufactures, KS Kandasamy, deputy commissioner (works), Chennai Corporation told Governance Now.

This arrangement will eliminate middlemen, and the producers like farmers and small scale industrialist will get direct benefit. At Amma weekly market, perishable and non-perishable products will be available. These markets will also help promote indigenous and local products, said Kandasamy.

The Chennai Corporation, which is a significant contributor to the making of Brand Amma, is devising ways to generate revenue from advertisement of this scheme so as to make the scheme self sufficient. The corporation is also planning to charge fee for parking, said Kandasamy. In a month’s time, the weekly market would come up in one location. Later, it might expand to more locations, he said.

At present the civic body is running Amma canteens from its own funds. There are a total of 300 Amma canteens running within Chennai corporation limits and the target is to increase it to 400, said an official at Chennai Corporation. The rest of the state is running 240 canteens. “Since it is a welfare scheme, we have sent proposal to the government and are expecting some funds,” he said.

However, a few officials claimed that the welfare schemes are not adding burden on the state exchequer.

Amma canteens launched in 2014 is a big hit among the people. One can get a single idli at Re 1, sambhar rice at Rs 5 and curd rice at Rs 3. Two chapatis cost Rs 3.

Among the other various schemes under brand Amma are Amma pharmacy, Amma drinking water, Amma salt, Amma cement, Amma mobile phone, Amma theatre, Amma farm fresh outlets, and Amma Kudineer.

The main opposition party DMK, which is considered to have led the way to freebie culture in the state, said that money spent on most of the welfare schemes was a waste of expenditure and also gave room for corruption. DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan said that except Amma canteens, other services under this brand are a failure.

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