Amma Salt

If the way to a person's heart is through the stomach, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa is making all the right moves. After budget canteens and mineral water, she launched subsidized salt under the brand name `Amma Salt' on Wednesday .
It may be a political masterstroke to win over hearts and votes, but it has the potential to create an `Amma' brand in the competitive commodities market. While in the open market, salt varieties are sold between Rs 21 and Rs 25 per kg, a kilo of Amma double fortified salt will be sold at Rs 14 per kg, low sodium salt at Rs 21 and free flow iodized salt at Rs 10.
Amma mineral water is sold at Rs 10 a litre, while other brands charge Rs 20. While all these measures have generated a lot of goodwill for the Jayalalithaa government, the products could earn a tidy sum for the government depending on their acceptability . Going by the popularity of the government's budget canteens, brand Amma could give the corporates a run for their money .
The government has been supplying iodized salt in fair price shops across the state. But, the CM ordered manufacture of three varieties of salt and their release in the open market. This would benefit people suffering from goiter and blood-deficiency disorders, officials said. The salt is manufactured by the industries department.
The state government has introduced products and services under the name `Amma', which has become a brand. “A name becomes a brand only if a person is able to remember the name, recall it and if it is ubiquitous. `Amma' satisfies this and can definitely be called a brand,“ said Bangalore-based brand expert Harish Bijoor. “The schemes announced during the DMK regime like free insurance and free TVs were business-to-business. Now, it is business-toconsumer as items like salt will be remembered by the consumer always,“ Bijoor said.
As for Amma brand's economic viability , economist D K Srivastava pointed out, “Amma brand is viable if it reaches the desired sections and the subsidy involved is budgeted for each year.“
HC orders removal of salt hoardings After digital banners and hoardings sprang up all over Chennai overnight to mark the launch of the state government's “Amma Salt“ scheme, the Madras high court on Wednesday threatened to initiate contempt action against persons whose names were found on the unlicensed hoardings. The court also directed the Chennai district revenue officials to remove the illegal hoardings and report back on Thursday. Hours after the directive, authorities started removing hoardings.