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.
The project was formally launched on 15 September 2013 by the then chief minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalithaa, on the 105th birth anniversary[1] of former chief minister of Tamil Nadu C. N. Annadurai.[2]
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.[3]
The Indian Railways had undertaken a similar scheme under the name "Rail neer",[4] with its one-litre bottles priced at ₹15, while private companies sell 1-litre bottles at higher prices.[5] [1] [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]