The Tamil Nadu government on Monday rolled out Amma Cement, one of its flagship populist schemes announced by former chief minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa. Launched under the brand “Amma” and catering to the low and middle-class customers, the cement has been priced at Rs 190 per 50 kg bag compared with the market rate of Rs 370-385.
The scheme was launched in Tiruchy and will be extended to other parts of the state before January 10, said a release by the state government.
The Tamil Nadu government will procure around two lakh metric tonne of cement every month from manufacturers and will be sold through 470 stock points, which are owned by corporation, municipality and panchayat unions. Tamil Nadu Cement Corporation will be the nodal agency for this scheme.
Jayalalithaa had on September 29, 2014, announced the launch of the cement scheme under ‘Amma’ brand, in line with low-cost canteens, water, salt, pharmacy, fruits and vegetable shops and other schemes under Amma brand. In a statement earlier, Jayalalithaa had said the scheme was to help the common people who are facing brunt from rising cement prices.
According to a government notification, for those who will construct 100 sq ft will get 50 bags, up to a maximum of 1,500 sq ft the limit will be 750 bags. For those who are renovating or repairing houses, around 10-100 bags would be distributed under the subsidy scheme.
The monthly demand for cement in Tamil Nadu is in the range of 17-19 metric tonne. Of this, about 4-4.5 lakh MT comes from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The Tamil Nadu-based companies have also increased their prices in the recent past.