The Tamil Nadu government launched Amma Cement in Tiruchirappalli at a subsidised rate of Rs.190 per 50kg bag, an official said.

The scheme will cover the entire state by Jan 10, a state government release said.

The scheme was announced by the then chief minister J. Jayalalithaa Sep 26 last year.

Later, she lost the post and her membership of the state assembly after she was convicted and given a four-year jail term in a corruption case.

The government would procure 200,000 tonnes of cement from private manufacturers every month for the scheme.

Beneficiaries can buy up to a maximum of 750 bags for construction on 1,500 sq.ft. area at the rate of 50 bags for each 100 sq.ft. of construction.

For repairs and renovation works, 10 to 100 bags can be bought under the scheme. The Tamil Nadu Cement Corporation would be the nodal agency for the scheme that would be implemented by the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation and the rural development department.

With this, cement becomes yet one more product being sold under the Amma brand in the state following bottled water, common salt, vegetables, pharmacies selling medicines at subsidised rates, and canteens offering affordable breakfast and lunch to working people.

In Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa is affectionately called Amma among political circles as well as by the common man.