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Amma Kudineer (meaning Mother drinking-water in Tamil language) is a mineral water production and distribution project run by the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of Tamil Nadu in India.[1]
About the scheme
editThe project was formally launched on 15 September 2013 by the then chief minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalithaa, on the 105th birth anniversary[2] of former chief minister of Tamil Nadu C. N. Annadurai.[3]
The project involved production and packaging of mineral water in one litre plastic bottles, and selling them in long-distance running state-owned buses and in bus stations. The price was fixed at ₹10 per bottle. The project was intended to make purified water available to people of all strata, at a reasonable cost.[4]
The Indian Railways had undertaken a similar scheme under the name "Rail neer",[5] with its one-litre bottles priced at ₹15, while private companies sell 1-litre bottles at higher prices.[1][2][6]
The scheme is run by the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, with a production plant in Gummidipoondi in Thiruvallur district, on a 55-acre land that belongs to the Institute of Road Transport (IRT), a subsidiary of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation. The plant has the capacity to produce 3 lakh liters of purified water per day. The total dissolved solids (TDS) in the water was reported to be below 50 parts per million (ppm), as compared to a requirement of below 150 ppm in water from lakes and in rainwaters.[7]
Amma water bottles were distributed to affected population during times of disaster, such as the 2018 kerala floods, 2015 chennai floods, and the gaja cyclone.[8]
As the scheme was a success, its sales was extended to all over tamil nadu.[9] However, within several days, the demand for water bottles increased which lead to supply shortage at many places.[10]
Presently, the sales of Amma Water bottles have stopped due to a technical problem at the Gummidipoondi Factory. There are no plans by the government to repair this plant due to change in ruling power.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Jaya launches Amma mineral water at Rs. 10/L". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 18 September 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ^ a b "Amma Mineral Water cheapest in India". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 18 September 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
- ^ "Jayalalithaa : A political career with sharp rises and steep falls". The Hindu. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- ^ "Mother of welfare schemes". The Hindu. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- ^ "Rail Neer". Irctc.com. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
- ^ "Jayalalithaa launches Amma mineral water". The Times of India. 15 September 2013. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
- ^ "Taste Amma mineral water at Rs. 10 in Chennai". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
- ^ "'Amma' drinking water bottles for Kerala: Minister". Hello Jammu News. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ Staff Reporter (18 September 2013). "Amma water proves a hit". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ "Amma water bottles in short supply". The Hindu. 5 October 2015. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ "Sales stopped, fate of Amma water in limbo". The New Indian Express. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2022.