Kejriwal in Chennai, pays homage to Jayalalithaa

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday flew to Chennai and paid his last respects to Late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa who passed away on Monday. 

“Paid homage to Amma,” Kejriwal tweeted. The Aam Aadmi Party leader visited Rajaji Hall to pay his tribute to the AIADMK leader. Kejriwal earlier expressed his condolences, describing her as “a very very popular leader. Aam Aadmi’s leader”. 

The Kejriwal-led AAP government was much inspired by her social initiatives like Amma canteens and even announced its plan on those lines. The Delhi government has come up with ‘aam aadmi’ canteens to provide subsidised hygienic food to the working classes. Kejriwal had sent a special team to Tamil Nadu on July 14, 2015, to study in detail the nitty-gritty of the entire scheme. The project is being implemented by Delhi Dialogue Commission headed by Ashish Khetan. 

“The Tamil Nadu government has been running 225 canteens at an expense of Rs 65 crore annually. Similar projects by other states are being studied,” said a senior officer. As per the plan, the AAP government will set up canteens near hospitals, education institutions, commercial hubs and industrial areas. 

These  eateries will be capable to serve anywhere between 3,000-5,000 people daily. More than 20 lakh people are expected to benefit from the initiative.