Chennai:
Encouraged by the res­ponse evoked among Ch­e­nn­aiites, the state
government on Sunday extended the low-budget eateries, Amma canteens, to
other cor­porations in the state.

Chief
minister J. Jaya­lal­ithaa, as announced in the Assembly a few weeks
ago, launched 90 new canteens in nine corporations, 10 ea­ch, from the
secretariat th­rough video-conferencing. Besides, she also in­t­roduced
the much-awaited breakfast menu inclusion of pongal-sambar, and curry
leaves rice and le­mon rice for lunch at Chennai’s 200 canteens.

The
Amma canteens, aimed at providing heal­t­hy food at affordable price,
are bound to cheer hundr­eds of workers, poor and mi­ddle-income groups
bel­onging to the nine cor­pora­tions – Madurai, Tir­uc­hy, Coimbatore,
Tiru­ne­lveli, Salem, Tirupur, Thoo­thukudi, Vellore and Erode – who
would get to taste the south Indian fare of idli–sambar in the
mor­nings, while sambar rice and curd rice would form the lunch menu.

This
launch follows the announcement made by Jayalalithaa in the As­sembly
on May 16 that the ‘ins­tant hit’ Amma cante­ens would be extended to
ni­ne other corporations. At present, each city wou­ld get 10 eateries,
in all 90 ca­n­teens, which would be ex­tended to other parts of these
corporations, based on the response from the pu­blic.

The budget
canteens lau­nched in Chennai Feb­ru­ary this year became a sm­ash hit
among labourers, migrant workers and other sections of society as idlis
sold for Rs1 a piece, curd rice for Rs 3 and sambar rice for Rs 5.

This
apart, the CM also kept her word by extending the menu  by introducing
pongal-sambar, heal­thy curry leaves rice and sumptuous lemon rice
dishes, all priced at Rs 5 a plate. Che­n­nai budget eateries would
so­on include chappathi (rotis) and dhal in their menu.

Chief secretary Sheela Balakrishnan and Maws secretary Phanindra Red­dy were present at the function.