Already in 2010, the Triplicane Urban Co-operative Society set up five medical shops in Chennai to sell drugs at reasonable prices. Nearly 40 cooperative medical shops across the State were started later.
Earlier ‘Amma Unavagam,’ low-cost restaurants, were set up in Chennai and other municipal corporations. Then came ‘Amma mineral water’ a bottle of mineral water selling for Rs.10. Sometime ago, ‘Amma Salt,’ a low -priced common salt began selling for the common people. Sources keeping a watch on the local cooperative sector say the cooperative network is playing an important role in all these Amma schemes in Tamil Nadu.