Tamil Nadu is awash with Amma brands, be it canteens, mineral water, tea or baby kits. All these are attempts by Jayalalithaa to build a personality cult but this could impact the state’s finances.
By R Ramasubramanian
Yet another Amma brand has arrived in Tamil Nadu. This time it’s the Amma Call Centre. On January 19, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa formally launched Amma Call Centres through her usual video conferencing at the secretariat in Chennai.
Aimed at addressing and solving people’s grievances speedily, the Amma Call Centre will work round-the-clock and will handle 15,000 calls a day initially. For this, a swanky office has been hired by the government at T Nagar in the heart of Chennai. One hundred and thirty-eight people have been hired for the task. People who are facing problems with any state department can dial 1100, a toll-free number. Complaints will be immediately registered in a computer and forwarded to concerned departments for follow-up action. The caller will be kept in the loop and duly informed through SMS, claims a government press release. Though there is already a special cell in the CM’s office for handling complaints related to the governance of the state administration, the Amma Call Centre will expedite the problem-solving mechanism, claims the press release.
Brand Amma is not new to the people of Tamil Nadu. Amma means mother in Tamil and three years ago while speaking in the assembly, Jayalalithaa said that she always wanted and loved to be called Amma. Previously, she used to claim that she was their “beloved sister”.
BRAND BUILDING
Today, Tamil Nadu is witnessing a deluge of Amma brands… Amma canteens, Amma mineral water, Amma tea, Amma salt, Amma cement, Amma mobile, Amma pharmacy, Amma baby kit, Amma theatres, Amma micro loans, etc. This is undoubtedly the only state to introduce so many items under one name and that too, resonating with the personality of its chief minister.
“This is a calculated attempt by Jayalalithaa to boost her image by adding the honorific Amma and using the state exchequer. It’s aimed at the next elections.” — A senior economist in Tamil Nadu
The salient features of some of these brands are:
Amma canteens: Tiffin and lunch are provided at unbelievably low rates. While idli is available for Re 1 per piece, curd rice and sambar rice is available for Rs 5 and so are chappatis. There are over 250 Amma canteens throughout the state. Local corporations are spending around Rs 6 crore to Rs 7 crore per month on this and incurring a loss of Rs 2.7 crore due to the subsidized rates. It’s not clear how long they can afford to be so generous. Though the state exchequer is supporting this presently, it could invite the wrath of the CAG. But Jayalalithaa is least concerned.
Amma mineral water: At a time when a liter of bottled water is sold for Rs 20 and above, Amma mineral water is available for Rs 10 and special water plants have been established precisely for this.
Amma cement: Aimed at controlling cement prices which are skyrocketing in the state, the government is supplying it at a cost of Rs 190 per bag.
Amma salt: This is available in three categories: Rs 21, Rs14 and Rs 10.
Amma mobiles: They are given free and are part of a scheme for Women Self-Help Groups or SHGs. Some 6.08 lakh SHGs will benefit from this and the government had already distributed 20,000 mobile sets. Rs 15 crore had been earmarked for this scheme.
Amma micro loans: This scheme is aimed at mitigating the suffering of small traders who were affected in the recent floods. Rs 5,000 will be given to them at 11 percent interest.
Amma pharmacies: There are around 100 Amma Marunthagangal (Pharmacies) in Chennai selling medicines at a nominal discount of 10 percent.
Amma babycare kit: This is a Rs 67-crore scheme where a free medical kit containing a towel, a mosquito net, an infant mattress, an infant dress, napkin, oil bottle (100 ml), baby shampoo (60 ml), a soap with a box, a nail cutter, kilu killuppai (rattle toy), a doll, and a hand sanitizer (250 ml) will be given to mothers post delivery in government hospitals.
Amma tea: This is a product of the Tamil Nadu Tea Plantation Corporation or TANTEA. Tea packets will be supplied at a very nominal rate and thereby, the government hopes to increase the share of TANTEA in the market.
Amma theaters: These are yet to take off. The Chennai Corporation is planning to construct cinema theatres in vacant land belonging to it and will charge Rs 25 per screening.
GENEROUS CM?
These Amma brands are in addition to other freebies which are provided to the people by the AIADMK. Jayalalithaa had promised free laptops to students and free mixies, grinders and ceiling fans to voters. Other than this, goats and cows were also provided to certain sections of people.
Ironically, the Amma brand is growing by leaps and bounds in a state where there is dwindling economic activity. But this is alleged to be a calculated, systematic and scheming attempt on the part of Jayalalithaa which is angering the opposition. A section of economists too subscribe to this view. “This is a calculated attempt by Jayalalithaa to boost her image by adding the honorific Amma and using the state exchequer. This is a brazen activity aided by state finances and aiming at the next elections,” asserted a senior economist with a state government policy-making body, who didn’t want to be named.
It is a moot question as to how long this largesse will continue, for it cannot be sustained for long with the state exchequer in dire straits. In fact, Governor K Rosaiah in his customary address to the state assembly on January 20 had warned that the finances of the state were not in a good shape.
MONOPOLISTIC PLAYER
Another problem which has cropped up is that with the state encroaching into the market and becoming the monopolistic player, the livelihood of many small traders is getting affected. For example, the Amma canteens have affected roadside eateries. A Shanmugam, the owner of a roadside eatery in northern Chennai, said: “Traditionally, I am an AIADMK voter. This time I will not vote for Jayalalithaa. She has ruined my life. The small amount I was able to earn by selling idlis and dosas has been wiped out by the Amma canteens. Neither I nor my extended family of 17 will vote for Jayalalithaa.”
However, those who benefitted from her schemes outnumber people like Shanmugam. Unlike the PDS, the Amma Canteens don’t function with a focused beneficiary class. Some even wonder if her generosity will get reflected during elections. Will all those who benefitted from her schemes actually vote for Jayalalithaa?
Another fallout of these schemes, say social scientists, economists and political scientists is that the culture of freebies has resulted in the de-politicization of Tamil Nadu’s masses. By constantly making a majority of the population dependent on them, the ruling AIADMK is preventing the masses from thinking about the root causes of their poverty and finding a way out of them. Will it lead to a nation of people living on dole, one wonders.