CHENNAI: The highly popular Amma Unavagams, eateries run by the Tamil Nadu government, which offer idli for Rs 1 and rice varieties for Rs 5, is an important stop-gap measure for checking the food price inflation, suggest a join study by a student each from Madras Christian College (MCC) and Yale University, which was presented at the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) on Saturday.
N Raghunath, who is pursuing MA Economics in MCC and William L, a Yale University student, did the study over a month by visiting eight Amma Unavagams across Chennai and speaking to a wide range of people including those who frequent the eatery, women who cook and serve the food and local entrepreneurs living near the eateries.
With the increase in cooked food prices, the qualitative food that Amma Unavagams provide also results in hefty savings for those who eat three meals at the eatery and don’t earn too much.