Convinced that every idli sold for a rupee at Amma canteens in Tamil Nadu translated into a vote for Jayalalithaa in the assembly elections in May, Chandrababu Naidu has decided to `Make in Andhra’. The first beneficiaries of the subsidised sumptuous spread at the Anna (as the Telugu Desam founder N T Rama Rao was fondly referred to) canteen will be the government employees at the new Andhra Pradesh secretariat at Velagapudi. Naidu realises that many of them have shifted from Hyderabad to the capital region in and around Vijayawada-Guntur-Ibrahimpatnam, leaving their families behind and hence has decided to pamper them. And what better way to a disgruntled government employee’s heart, than through his stomach !
For the record, the TDP claims NTR Anna canteen was a promise made in its 2014 election manifesto and says NTR was in fact the pioneer of the subsidised meal scheme, having launched it in Tirumala when he was CM. The menu though is a copycat of the Jayalalithaa spread. Breakfast includes idli-sambar (one rupee for an idli) and pongal (Rs 5 for 200 gm) while lunch has lemon rice, sambar rice (Rs 5 for 200 gm) and curd rice (Rs 3 for 150 gm) on offer. The plan is to open 29 such canteens in the capital region in Amaravati. Over the next few months, the aim is to open 35 more such canteens in Vizag, Tirupati, Guntur and Anantapur with many of them to be located near hospitals so that poor people can get access to hygienic and cheap food. NGO Akshayapatra would be in charge of running these canteens in Amaravati.
Despite criticism that Jayalalithaa has converted Tamil Nadu into Amma Nadu, most agree that the Amma canteen has been one of the most successful welfare-cum-public outreach programmes by any government. What is noteworthy is that in cities like Chennai, it is not just the poor who patronise the Amma canteens, but also young software professionals and students. The money saved on food has a positive impact on their savings and way of life.
Though Naidu has named most of the recent welfare schemes after himself (Chandranna), the move to start Anna canteens is aimed at reminding the people that NTR was the original poster boy of populism. With plans to instal a 115 feet tall NTR statue in Amaravati, Naidu wants to tap into the NTR vote bank as well.
The Amma canteen concept has been copied by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation in Telangana but it did not brand it appropriately. The Delhi government has similar plans with Aam Aadmi canteens. In terms of branding, `Amma’ as a name has worked wonders for the AIADMK because of its immediate recall value and association with Jayalalithaa. The sharp politician that he is, Naidu hopes to do the same with Anna.
