Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s budget canteens have become an instant hit in the state.
KP Munusamy, the state minister for municipal administration and water supply, said: “Everyday, an average of one lakh idlies, 25,000 units of sambar rice and 15,000 units of curd rice are being provided at these 73 centres.?
In his policy note tabled for 2013-14 on Monday, he said 127 of the 200 budget canteens will start soon.
According to this scheme aimed at daily-wage workers and downtrodden people, the aforesaid delicacies are provided at subsidised rates, where an idly is sold for R1, while sambar rice and curd rice are priced at R5 and R3, respectively.
The state government had announced such centres would be opened in each of the 200 wards of the Chennai Corporation.
Jayalalithaa had in February rolled out the first set of 15 such canteens. The scheme has been implemented through local women’s self-help groups. A committee headed by the city health officer has been overseeing the operation.
A total of 1,000 such canteens have been planned across the city, with the first phase of the project entailing setting up of 200 centres, one for each Chennai Corporation ward.