Things to ponder..
An interesting article published in Rediff.com by Sanjeev Nayyar on 27 May 2016 titled “Why Amma’s canteen must be replicated nationwide.”
Here is the menu at Amma Canteen:
• Morning Tiffin: Idli with sambar Rs 1, Pongal Rs 5.
• Lunch: Sambar/lemon/curry rice Rs 5, curd rice for Rs 3.
• Dinner: Chapati with dal or kurma Rs 3.
Can you dream of having a wholesome meal for Rs 8 anywhere else in India? Cynics might say that Amma has used these schemes to promote herself. But if I were a poor labourer who barely gets a square meal a day, or a middle-class person reeling under high pulse prices, would I care?
Takeaways from Amma Canteen scheme:
• The poorest of the poor can have a filling meal within Rs 17-20 per day.
• Each centre provides employment to twelve ladies so supplements family income.
• It reduces pilferage as subsidy is given at the last point — on consumption of food and not at the first — in the form of food grains.
• Socially it breaks barriers of religion, community and economic status.
– Sanjeev Nayyar, Rediff.com
