Feeding the future of India

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an Indian NGO implementing the Central Mid-Day Meal Scheme across Government schools. It was initiated in the year 2000 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Initially it began feeding in five Government schools of the Bengaluru city. Witnessing the overwhelming response for the need of the programme, Akshaya Patra strategically began expanding its operations to other parts of the state and eventually to other states of India. Currently, Akshaya Patra is feeding Government school children of 24 locations across 10 states namely: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. In total, Akshaya Patra feeds more than 1.4 million children every day across the country.

These beneficiaries come from humble background but bring with them high aspirations. They are determined enough to not let their unfavourable socio-economic status come as a hurdle when it is the question of pursuing their dreams. At Akshaya Patra, each meal has its own unique story. Hence, the NGO ensures that it provides nutritious, hygienic and tasty food on each day. It also designs its menu based on the location to cater to the local palate. For example: the menu of Akshaya Patra kitchen at Karnataka will cater to South Indian palate whereas the menu item of Akshaya Patra Gujarat will cater to North Indian palate.

Over the years of implementation of mid-day meal, the Government of India along with partner NGOs has witnessed positive impact on the growth, development and regularity to school among children. Studies have also brought to fore that there has been increase in enrolment and attendance, also decreasing the rate of dropout. Mid-Day Meal Scheme has shown significant results in countering classroom hunger among children. These positive alterations during the growth years of children give them the confidence to lead a self-sustaining life in the future. It instils in them the determination and certainty of being able to come out of the vicious cycle of poverty, hunger and illiteracy.

Join Akshaya Patra in feeding the future of India and creating sustainable assets.

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Impact of mid-day meal on growing children

Over the years, the Mid-Day Meal Scheme has proved itself to be a supporting pillar in the overall development of children even at the grass root level of the society. The Scheme that was initiated by Government of India is being implemented by various Non-Governmental Organisations too. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one among the various NGOs. Akshaya Patra began providing school lunch at five Government schools in Bengaluru city of Karnataka in 2000. This was even before the official central mandate in 2003 by the Government of India to provide free cooked mid-day meal at all Government schools. But after the mandate was passed, Akshaya Patra partnered with the Government of India in providing cooked meals at schools. Since then, Akshaya Patra has been working in a Public-Private Partnership model to achieve the six objectives of the Central Mid-Day Meal Scheme i.e.:

• Eliminating classroom hunger
• Increasing school enrolment
• Increasing school attendance
• Improving socialization among castes 
• Addressing malnutrition, and
• Women empowerment

During the course of implementing the mid-day meal programme for 15 years now, Akshaya Patra has also conducted impact studies of the programme in association with noted research organisations. The Akshaya Patra kitchen process and operations has also become a part of prestigious institutes like Harvard Business School. Below are mention of few impact studies that clearly showcase the significance and potential of the mid-day meal programme in eliminating classroom hunger, improving child health and also increasing enrolment and concentration of children.

• ‘Assessment of Mid-Day Meal Programme In 8 States’ by Sigma Research and Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
• ‘Impact Assessment Study Report of The Akshaya Patra Foundation - HPCL Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects (2012-13)’ by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)
• ‘Report on Measuring the Impact of Mid- Day-Meal on Child Growth’ by Department of Public Health Manipal University
• ‘Evaluation of the Mid-Day Meal Programme – June 2012’ by Kusuma Trust U.K.
• ‘Impact study 2012’ by Edumedia
• ‘Impact Assessment of The Akshaya Patra Foundation’s Mid-Day Meal Programme 2010’ by A.C. Nielsen
• ‘Akshaya Patra: Feeding India's School Children’ by Harvard business school

A click on Akshaya Patra Impact Studies will take you to the details of each of the above mentioned studies. To support Akshaya Patra, donate online to charity.

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Bollywood Star Ranveer Singh campaigns for Akshaya Patra!

Since inception in June 2000, Akshaya Patra has seen involvement of people from all walks of life towards the noble cause of feeding children. Akshaya Patra always provides a platform for existing supporters as well as invites new supporters to get involved in nation building through feeding the young hearts. Over the years of implementing the mid-day meal programme, Akshaya Patra has witnessed that each meal has its own story and each beneficiary has his or her own special dream. Thus the Foundation has always thrived to provide quality, hygienic and tasty mid-day meal each day to each of the beneficiaries.

Currently, Akshaya Patra is operational in 24 locations of 10 states. Each day, Akshaya Patra feeds mid-day meal to more than 1.4 million children across Government schools. It aims to feed 5 million children by 2020. The task indeed is humongous but not unattainable. Working towards the mission, Akshaya Patra welcomes participation from each member of the country. The participation could be in the form of skill, time, funds, awareness creation or even volunteering. The recent partnership with Ching’s Secret is an exemplary one as it has brought in Ranveer Singh, the Brand Ambassador of Ching’s Secret and popular Bollywood Star to campaign for Akshaya Patra.

Ranveer has been actively involved in the planning and execution of the campaign called 'India Ke Hunger Ki Bajao'. The campaign aims to feed at least 1 million children across the country. Ranveer’s sincere support towards the children was witnessed as he offered his support to 10,000 children and sponsored their mid-day meals for an entire year at the launch of the campaign. Along with Akshaya Patra beneficiaries as Ranveer appeals in this video it just takes 10 seconds and a minimum amount of Rs. 750 to feed a child for an entire year. This amount has the potential to nourish and change the life of millions of young citizens. The campaign will receive broadcast in television, radio and digital platforms. It is also being supported by well-known brands like Yash Raj Films, India TV, Red FM, Reliance Fresh, Patel Bros., Paytm, Choitrams and Fluence.

Managing Director of Capital Foods (Ching's Secret's parent company), Ajay Gupta opines that it’s time to give back to the society and education of children will definitely lead to a better future of the country. Ranveer Singh too adds that he loves kids and being able to be involved with the cause of Akshaya Patra gives him immense joy. He believes that being the role of Indian youth, he will be able to spread the message and bring in maximum participation for the cause.

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Akshaya Patra kitchen facility in earthquake-hit Nepal

The Akshaya Patra Foundation has always considered relief requests on high priority. Over the last 15 years of its existence, Akshaya Patra has been seen as an active relief provider in terms of food apart from its core cause of providing mid-day meal to Government school children.

Akshaya Patra has been continuously striving towards providing food relief to the earthquake  affected citizens of Nepal. Following the first devastating earthquake on the 25th of April, the Foundation send across 100,000 cooked meals to Nepal and later an additional 2,500 kilograms of emergency food aid was also provided to the region. The two high magnitude earthquakes each of 7.8 and 7.3 left the Himalayan kingdom in a devastating turmoil. The decision and conceptualization of setting up an Akshaya Patra kitchen came by after a joint committee comprising of members from Jamsetji Tata Trust, Sipradian Sahayata Sanstha and Akshaya Patra witnessed the unsafe and unhygienic condition where women are cooking food with the available materials. Over 55,000 Nepalese citizens have gone homeless and there is considerable shortage of food and clean drinking water. 

In view of the needful situation, The Jamsetji Tata Trust requested Akshaya Patra to set up and begin operation in the affected areas. Thus with the support of the Jamsetji Tata Trust and Sipradian Sahayata Sanstha, Akshaya Patra is constructing its kitchen facility in Bhaktapur, a location 14 kilometres away from Kathmandu. This Akshaya Patra kitchen will have the capacity to provide up to 100,000 meals per day to the affected people of Nepal. This kitchen will come by as huge relief aid in terms of safe, hygienic and healthy meals for the people of the Himalayan kingdom. 

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Another milestone in the food safety measures of Akshaya Patra

Since the time of inception, The Akshaya Patra Foundation has taken utmost care in providing clean, hygienic and nutritious mid-day meal to the children of Government schools. Over the years of service, Akshaya Patra has equipped itself with latest technologies and processes to enhance food safety measures. Each of the Akshaya Patra kitchens at 24 locations follows standard food safety and manufacturing practices. 

Whether it is a centralised kitchen unit or decentralised, each employee is adheres to the operational manual of the Foundation. Measures like maintaining personal hygiene, quality check during procurement of raw materials, quality maintenance during storage of raw materials, quality and safety during cooking, safety measures during transportation and delivery, post-delivery quality check processes like audits and feedbacks are mandatory and routine tasks at each Akshaya Patra kitchen. 

Usage of Stainless Steel 304 vessels, sterilisation of all vessels, equipment and delivery vans, customised meal delivery vehicles, continual improvement methods like Lean, Kaizen, Six Sigma and ISO 22000:2005 certification of 11 kitchens and continued efforts for certification of the remaining kitchens are measures taken to ensure that food prepared at Akshaya Patra kitchen are nutritious, hygienic and tasty.

Moving forward in the path of providing quality mid-day meal, Akshaya Patra recently inaugurated its first Food Safety and Quality Control Laboratory in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This lab is sponsored by the Jamsetji Tata Trust and is exemplary of a philanthropic and strategic partnership. Akshaya Patra’s Food Safety and Quality Control Lab (FSQC Lab) aims to assess food products from pre-production stage to post production stage. It is equipped with state-of-the-art testing facilities with technologies like the Atago make table top refractometer to analyse total soluble solids, fat purity, adulteration of oil etc. and the Shimadzu make spectrophotometer to evaluate DNA/protein concentration, absorbance, transmittance and the like. It also houses latest technological equipment for measuring microbial count.

The setting up of this specialised lab was a joint effort with technical assistance received from the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru. The inauguration of the lab was graced by noted dignitaries – Dr. Sanjiv Phalsankar, Programme Director, Tata Trusts; Dr. Alok Srivastava, Senior Principal Scientist, Department of Food Safety and Quality Control Lab; Representatives from the Food and Drugs Control Administration, Government of Gujarat; Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation; Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice - Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation and Jaganmohan Krishna Dasa, Unit President, Gujarat. Thanking all the support partners, Madhu Pandit Dasa said that this lab is a step towards ensuring further hygiene and quality of prepared meals and further meeting the food safety standards.

Read more about this new initiative at AkshayaPatra Food Lab at Ahmedabad.

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