After CM Vijay’s order to revive Amma Canteens, AIADMK hopes for comeback of other legacy schemes

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Published - May 22, 2026 03:00 pm IST - CHENNAI An Amma Unavagam at Melavasal in Madurai. File | Photo Credit: R. Ashok Welcoming the C. Joseph Vijay-led Tamil Nadu government’s decision to improve Amma Canteens – initiated by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa – AIADMK functionaries have urged the revival and strengthening of other flagship welfare schemes introduced during the Dravidian party’s previous tenures. AIADMK leaders called for bringing back populist schemes such as Amma Salt, the Cradle Baby scheme, Amma Scooters, and ‘Gold for Thali’ scheme (Thalikku Thangam), stating that these initiatives had benefited large sections of the public before being discontinued in recent years. J. John, AIADMK councillor from Korattur, alleged that Amma Mandapams, which were originally rented out at subsidised rates of around ₹50,000 a day, were now being leased for as much as ₹3 lakh. “These are government properties situated on public land, and the State should receive the revenue generated from them,” he said. He also said the proposed ‘Singapenne’ (Lioness) Special Task Force launched by the TVK government resembled the Amma Patrol scheme initiated in 2019 to improve the safety of women and children through the deployment of women police personnel and pink patrol vehicles in designated areas. AIADMK functionaries further alleged that several welfare schemes introduced during the previous AIADMK regime had not been effectively implemented by the DMK government. Former Royapuram MLA D. Jayakumar claimed that the Amma Kudineer drinking water scheme had been discontinued by the Chennai Metrowater. Mr. Jayakumar also called for the revival of schemes such as the ‘Pannai Pasumai Nugarvor Kootturavu Kadai’, which enabled farmers to sell vegetables at affordable prices, and Amma Cement, which supplied cement at subsidised rates. He alleged that the number of Amma Canteens had reduced across the State and that their maintenance had deteriorated in recent years. Former Chennai Mayor Saidai Duraisamy recalled weekly ‘Sandhai’ markets that sold provisions at subsidised prices, and said this benefitted both farmers, vendors, and the people. He alleged that initiatives such as the distribution of nocchi (Vitex negundo, commonly known as the Chinese chaste tree) saplings to curb mosquito breeding and mosquito nets for low-income residents had also been discontinued. Further, the progress of the Cooum river restoration project has slowed in recent years, and needs to be taken up immediately, he added. Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

After CM Vijay’s order to revive Amma Canteens, AIADMK hopes for comeback of other legacy schemes

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