The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation in India has been featured in Forbes through an article written by the organisations former Board Member- Nish Acharya. Presently, he is a Senior Fellow with North-eastern University and the Center for American Progress. In his article he brings out his experience while working with the organisation along with the mid day meal scheme success stories. He also duly points out the organisation’s effort to provide mid day meal to millions of children every day across 20 locations of 9 states. Nish Acharya’s article was published on the Skoll World Forum. This forum is a platform for discussion on important social issues across the world.
Akshaya Patra currently feeds 1.3 million Government school children every day across the country. The Foundation started providing mid day meal in Karnataka and now operates in 9 states namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The Foundation is a good example of a Public-Private Partnership. Apart from receiving support from the Central Government of India and respective State Governments, this programme also receives aid from individual and corporate donors.
Acharya also writes about the quality and hygiene maintained in the kitchens of Akshaya Patra while preparing the mid day meals. The article also cites the level of transparency maintained by this not-for-profit organisation in India. In his article, he mentions the efforts taken by the Foundation to constantly maintain the nutritional level of the meal and the way it is constantly innovating technology and methods to improve the already existing structure and operations.
Akshaya Patra also follows a corporate model of governance with a board of reputed trustees and auditors. The workforce of this not-for-profit organisation in India is a team of talents hired from best schools and companies. Thus, the expertise and knowledge of the core team helps the Foundation to move forward constructively.
The article also talks about the centralised kitchens model of Akshaya Patra that works best for mass production of the meals. It also brings to fore the willingness to donate for charity by both upper and middle class families. It also implies the growing understanding of the importance of food and education especially for children. At the same time he also touched upon the challenges faced by the Foundation in terms of fund for expansion in order to reach out to more and more children.
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