Canteens providing cheap meals a blessing in India

THE Tamil Nadu state-operated subsidised canteens known as Amma Unavagam have been selling up to 1.4 million idli and 900,000 capati and rice meals during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The canteens were started in 2013 under then chief minister J. Jayalalithaa and were ostensibly named after the Tamil word for mother, Amma, giving it the meaning “Mother’s Canteen”.

However, the name is also a reference to Jayalalithaa’s own popular moniker as she is often referred to as Amma by her supporters.

The canteens provide food at a very cheap price such as one rupee (5 sen) for a piece of idly and five rupees (25 sen) for a simple rice meal.

The initiative is popular among the poor during normal times and proven to be a big help for many more during the 21-day lockdown.

Municipal authorities in charge of the initiative said the canteens had been selling up to five times the normal amount of food.

In some areas with large populations of migrant workers, the canteens gave free food.

Around three million people were reportedly getting their daily meals from these canteens.

>Ten youths in Kulim, Kedah, who were caught breaking the movement control order (MCO) were charged at the Kulim Magistrate’s Court, Makkal Osai reported.

They were charged with defying the MCO, preventing police officers from discharging their duties and not having their MyKad on them.

They were fined RM1,000 each for the first offence in default three months’ jail.

Three of them were also fined RM3,000 each for the second offence in default four years’ jail, while three others were slapped with RM4,000 each for not having their MyKad.