NGO in Uttar Pradesh & Its Kitchen

Reportedly, over the next 10 years, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar will be home to 31% of the youngest Indian population between five and 14 years. Specifically, Uttar Pradesh already tops the list of child population in the country with 200 million aged between five and 14 years. This indicates that soon this 200 million will be a part of the country’s workforce, making the health and education of this young population a matter of utmost importance, not just for the progress of the state but for the nation as a whole. Unfortunately, the current education scenario in Uttar Pradesh is not a very pleasant sight with its low literacy rate of just 67.7%. In addition, the Unified-District Information System for Education (U-DISE) Flash Statistics 2015-16 reports that Uttar Pradesh has the worst student-teacher ratio in India and it also has the poorest transition rate from primary to upper primary school. The state also ranks poorly in learning outcome even though it has a higher per-student spending compared to the rest of the country. The Government has taken several steps to improve this prevailing critical situation, and Mid-Day Meal Scheme is one of the important interventions. The efforts of the government to provide mid-day meals have been furthered by The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a mid-day meal NGO in Lucknow and Vrindavan.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a mid-day meal NGO in India. Established in 2000 and headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka, the NGO currently feeds more than 1.7 million children of 14,173 government schools in 36 locations of 12 states in India. It began its journey of providing mid-day meal in UP in 2004 by establishing a centralised kitchen in Lucknow. In total, Akshaya Patra is currently reaching out to 2,11,680 children in 3,021 schools in the state.

As a NGO in Lucknow, Akshaya Patra provides mid-day meals to 91,418 children in 1,011 government schools and in Vrindavan the NGO provides school lunch to 1,20,262 children in 2,010 government schools.

The Foundation has established hi-tech centralised kitchens in both the locations. These kitchens are equipped to prepare 1 lakh meals per day and they serve locally palatable meals like roti (Indian flatbread) with sabzi (vegetable curry) along with other native food items for the main reason that maximum children should eat their school lunch readily and joyfully and reap the benefits of nutritious meals.

Since roti is a staple item in the North Indian menu, the Lucknow and Vrindavan kitchens are equipped with roti making machines. These machines have the capacity to roll out up to 200,000 rotis from 6000 kilograms of wheat flour. Aside from roti making machines, these kitchens are equipped with rice cauldrons of at least 500 litres capacity, dal cauldrons with the capacity to cook 1200 litres to 3000 litres, trolleys, rice chutes, cutting boards, knives and other similar equipment. The cooked meals are packed in insulated vessels and are transported to schools in insulated vehicles. The delivery vehicles are enabled with GPRS tracking system for safety and on-time delivery of meals.

Alike all kitchens, the Lucknow and Vrindavan kitchens strictly adhere to hygiene and cleanliness practices while preparing meals and both are ISO 22000:2005 certified kitchens. Since Kaizen, Continuous Improvement Projects and Six Sigma methodologies form an integral part of Akshaya Patra kitchens, the same is practiced in Lucknow and Vrindavan kitchens too. As an NGO providing mid-day meal in UP, Akshaya Patra has observed significant improvements in various fronts. According to a third party study conducted by Sigma Research and Consulting Pvt. Ltd. in 2014, Uttar Pradesh showed a positive trend in the following variables: elimination of classroom hunger, social equity, nutrition and health, enrolment, and retention and attendance. It scored a total of 9.43 on a scale of 10, thus revealing that mid-day meal has had a significant impact on children.

This NGO in Lucknow wants to expand its reach and benefit more children in the state. But, in doing so, it requires support from you. You can be a part of the NGO’s endeavour to nourish children by either contributing funds or by opting to donate a vehicle to deliver meals to schools. Your contribution will ensure that children receive at least one nutritious meal per day. It will also make you a part of the change that will get manifested in the form of healthy and educated generation. Step forward, contribute, and be a part of nourished and educated India.

An NGO's effort to make health is wealth for children

‘Health is wealth’ is a familiar phrase and it becomes even more important with respect to children. The first five years of a child is considered to be the most crucial growth phase as a significant amount of development and learning happens during these formative years. And, an important aspect that promotes healthy growth is consumption of nutritious diet. Nutrition improves cognitive functioning, appropriate physical development, maintains energy levels, and provides enhanced immunity against infections and diseases. And, there is enough evidence to establish the relationship between nutrition, health, and learning.

So that every child receives the best of nutrition, many NGOs have taken it up as their core cause to provide wholesome meals to children mainly targeting the lower socio-economic strata of the society. One such NGO for children in India is The Akshaya Patra Foundation. Established in June 2000, this NGO implements the Mid-Day Meal Programme in government schools across the country with the vision ‘No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger’. For the past 17 years, the Foundation has been tirelessly working towards providing freshly cooked, nutritious school lunch to school children so that children continue schooling and at the same time benefit from the programme health-wise. Before talking further about this NGO and its work towards promoting health and education, here is a list of reasons that explains the significance of investing in nutrition, health, and education of children:

Thus, it is evident that nutrition, health, and education become critically important during the growth years of children.

Well, heeding to the above-mentioned aspects of nutrition and health, Akshaya Patra, the NGO for children strives to provide ‘unlimited food for education’. In order to maximise the benefit of the Mid-Day Meal Programme, Akshaya Patra operates to formats of kitchen facility – centralised kitchen to provide school lunch in urban and semi-urban areas, and decentralised kitchens to provide school lunch in remote areas. To ensure meals are nutritious, the NGO employs various quality measures in its operations – right from procurement of raw materials to delivering the cooked meals. Raw materials are procured based on Supplier Quality Management System and are inspected as per Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). All the kitchens follow the FIFO (First In First Out) and FEFO (First Expiry First Out) methods while issuing the raw material for production. Washed and sterilised vessels and tools are used for cutting, cooking and transporting food. All employees are trained in good hygiene practices and food safety measures. It is mandatory for each member in the kitchen to follow the hygiene chart comprising of daily shower, use of clean uniforms, head caps, face masks to cover the mouth and nose area, hand gloves, gumboots, other protective gears and hand sanitisation. Cooked food is transported in insulated vehicles to retain the freshness and quality of meals. Continual Improvement Projects, Six Sigma methodologies, 5S, GMP, Lean and Kaizen are some of the process improvement methods implemented across all kitchens.

This charitable trust understands the value of each penny and hence on an average, 92% of the total donation is used towards meeting the programme cost and 8% towards the programme management cost. Such effective management of funds and operations has led the Foundation to grow steadily over the years. From feeding just 1,500 children in five government schools of Bengaluru in 2000, Akshaya Patra has expanded its reach to more than 1.7 million children across 12 states of India. It has impacted young lives with wholesome meals on every school day. So, even though Akshaya Patra is a mid-day meal NGO, it wouldn’t be wrong to say donate for education in India because its service of 17 years has been instrumental in bringing children to school and empowering them with education.

In a nutshell, to create a healthy society, we must focus on the health of children. And, to create a prosperous society, we must focus on the education of children. Only healthy children can contribute to the socio-economic growth of themselves and the society.

The Social benefits of Tax Exemption in India

There is a compassionate part hidden among all of us. And, the thought of getting out there and doing something for the society also must have crossed our minds many times. But, how often have we actually gone ahead and done it? We get so caught up in our daily humdrum that our benevolence takes a backseat. But, as they say, ‘where there is a will, there is a way.’ So, one of the many ways that can provide you a platform to actively participate in social causes is to engage with an NGO. Every NGO works towards benefitting, uplifting, and sustaining the society by encompassing factors related to social, legal, environment, ecology, health, economy, education, welfare, and the like. The cause of each NGO directly or indirectly reflects the broader perspectives of global organisations such as the UN, UNESCO, WHO, ILO etc. Since NGOs work at the ground zero level of the society; their involvement with a cause brings about a more sustainable outcome. Hence, when you get involved with an NGO it provides you an avenue to constructively participate in a cause.

In view of the significant role of NGOs and to encourage participation of individuals and businesses in various causes, the Government of India has made the provision of tax exemption in India for all charitable donations. Yes, as per Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, contributing donations to a registered NGO or a charitable trust can avail the donor 100% or 50% exemption on the donated amount based upon the type of charitable trust and the clauses of the Income Tax Act. The exemption is applicable for both online donation and offline donation. However, due to ease and convenience, many donors have started taking the online mode of contributing charity. And, since NGOs understand the worth of each penny, the donor can be rest assured that their money is being utilised in the right way. Hence, considering this form of tax exemption is quite a noble way to contribute towards the society.

Let’s take a couple of instances, if a donor identifies with an environmental cause such as afforestation and contributes towards Save Green, then his taxable income will be utilised towards increasing green cover and initiating several environment-friendly programmes. Similarly, if a donor identifies with child education and nutrition, then donating towards The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO in India will ensure nutritious school meals to government school children on every school day. And, since the NGO is aiming at feeding 5 million children by 2020, every penny of all donations will be directed towards the operational expansion of the NGOs Mid-Day Meal Programme. This means, as a donor, you are providing wholesome meals to children and helping them learn and participate better in school, and you are also contributing towards their healthy growth. So, essentially you are contributing towards a healthier and educated society. And, you are also being a catalyst in nation-building.

Well, as you can decipher from the above-mentioned instances, your taxable income has the potential to transform the society in many different ways. Hence, don’t you think making an online donations or offline donations to NGOs can make the most of the tax exemption in India to upkeep your benevolence, save your hard-earned money while also partaking to uplift the society?

How can an NGO bring positive change in society?

‘Giving back to society’ is not an unheard phrase; in fact, it is quite clichéd. Right from top legislators to the common man, everybody has spoken about and heard of this phrase time and again. So, what does it actually mean? To put it simply, ‘giving back to society’ means helping the needy. We all live in a society and the society provides for us. We are dependent on our community and environment for all our need. So, in turn, it becomes our responsibility to take care of our fellow human beings and our life-sustaining environment. It is no surprise that inequality and difference exists all around us: some are extravagantly wealthy whereas some are struck by poverty, some have the luxury to a lavish spread of fine gourmet whereas some sleep and wake up to extreme hunger, some breathe in fresh air whereas some are struggling under the blanket of soot, some are travelling far and wide to get education in the finest of institutions whereas some do not even have the opportunity to attend primary schooling. These are just a few dots on the huge map of the haves and have-nots. And, the phrase ‘giving back to society’ addresses this very imbalance so that the ‘haves’ step up to provide for the ‘have-nots’ through charity donation, time, skill, and specific resources.

One of the practical ways to channel charitable activities constructively is to get engaged with an NGO. NGOs are legally formed groups independent of government ownership or representation. Their scale of ranges from local to global level and encompasses concerns related to human development, conservation of the environment, animal welfare, and more. The operational structure of NGOs allows them to get involved more closely with a particular issue resulting in a more focussed way of dealing with an issue. And, this is also the reason why NGOs are more effective in bringing about a lasting change in the society. So when you donate charity or invest your time and resources in such organisations, it gives a whole new meaning to your contribution. Heeding to this impact and to increase the involvement of more people with different causes, the Government of India allows tax exemption in India for all donations made towards registered NGOs and charitable trusts under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act. This means your donation will have a double advantage: first, it will help the NGO to make progress in their respective causes; and second, it will make you eligible to claim 100% or 50% exemption on the donated amount based on the defined criterions of the Income Tax Act.

One such organisation that has also been recognised as the top NGO by The Global Journal is The Akshaya Patra Foundation. In 2013, the Foundation was ranked 23rd among the top 100 NGOs featured in the 2013 edition of The Global Journal. Akshaya Patra is an Indian NGO running the world’s largest NGO-run school lunch programme. Headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka, the Foundation provides freshly cooked nutritious meals to more than 1.6 million children across 34 locations in 12 states. Over the 17 years of its service, Akshaya Patra has observed significant changes in the schooling pattern of children from the economically disadvantaged background. There has been a rise in enrolment, improved attendance rate, improved health, better concentration, and more active participation of children in school activities. However, this would not have been possible without the support of government and philanthropic donors. With the aim to expand its reach and feed more children, the NGO directs all the received funds towards bettering processes and operations and providing wholesome meals to children.

The one meal that children receive on every school day allows them to hope for a better future. It allows them to continue schooling which makes them more confident to achieve their aims. This makes your charity donation a meaningful intervention in the healthy growth and development of young children, making them resourceful citizens of the country. And, the same donation exempts you from taxes too! Well then, wouldn’t it be a good choice to save tax by ‘giving back to society’?

An NGO in India is striding towards nation-building

Every day, Akshaya Patra provides school lunch to more than 1.6 million children across 34 locations in 12 states of India.

Witnessing the interest of Aditya’s interest in computer and solar energy, Akshaya Patra partnered with ITI to provide a computer lab to the school so that children can receive practical knowledge along with theory lessons.

Heeding to Manjula’s interest in theatre and acting, Akshaya Patra enrolled her for a month long mentorship programme at the Bangalore School of Speech and Drama, following which she shone bright at a stage performance.

Akshaya Patra has partaken in several disaster relief activities by providing food to affected people in crisis situations like the devastating Nepal Earthquake and Chennai floods in 2015, the Gorakhpur flood in 2017, and the like.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO in India that was initiated with the vision, ‘No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger.’ Since its genesis in 2000, this NGO has been striving to address the critical issue of classroom hunger and accessibility to school education through its Mid-Day Meal Programme. Initially, the Foundation served school lunch to just 1,500 children in five government schools in Bengaluru. Taking note of the crucial requirement of school meals, Akshaya Patra gradually began expanding its operations to other parts of the country as well. The Public-Private Partnership, good management, innovative technology, and transparent accounting policies have made the Akshaya Patra’s Mid-Day Meal Programme the world’s largest NGO-run school lunch programme. Today, Akshaya Patra operates 34 kitchens (32 centralised; 2 decentralised) across 12 states, feeding over 1.6 million children, every day.

The role of NGOs in the mid-day meal sector is to provide freshly cooked, nutritious meals to school children with the objective to:

• avoid classroom hunger
• increase school enrolment
• increase school attendance
• improve socialisation among castes
• address malnutrition, and
• empower women through employment

And, several studies done to assess the impact of Akshaya Patra’s meals suggest that the Foundation has been making steady progress in achieving the above-mentioned objectives.

Over the 17 years of service, Akshaya Patra realised that for an overall development of children and inclusive progress of the society, it has to fill certain gaps within its operational realm such as availability of nutritious meals in Anganwadi, providing a platform for children to hone their talents that will help in achieving their goals, and also being available for fellow citizens at the time of need such as natural disasters. So, while performing its core activity of providing mid-day meal, Akshaya Patra also impacts the society with its other feeding initiatives.

Witnessing the potential among its beneficiaries, this NGO in India endeavoured to go beyond just providing school meals with its 'Give Every Dream A Chance’ initiative. As a start, Akshaya Patra identified three beneficiaries Shivu, Manjula, and Shekar with the aim to become an astronaut, an actress, and a chef, respectively, and provided them with a month’s mentorship under experts in the mentioned fields. The impact of this initiative was:

Such initiatives are indeed of prime importance for the overall development of children, and Akshaya Patra is taking steps to implement it within its realm of service.

The dedicated service of the Foundation has been recognised in various forums and here is a mention of just a few of the laurels:

• Akshaya Patra has been ranked 23rd among the top 100 NGOs featured in the 2013 edition of The Global Journal.
• This top NGO has also been featured as one of the eight Indian game changers in the inaugural edition of Innowin (India’s first magazine dedicated to innovation).
• Akshaya Patra became the first NGO to comply with the IFRS and also the winner of the Gold Shield for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the ICAI for five consecutive years, inducting the NGO in the ICAI Hall of Fame.
• In 2006, Akshaya Patra was considered as a case study at the prestigious Harvard Business School as part of its MBA curriculum.

In an effort to multiply the impact of the Mid-Day Meal Programme, this NGO in India continuously enhances its technologies and processes by implementing Kaizen, Continuous Improvement Projects and Six Sigma methodologies in its kitchen operations. Alongside regular technological interventions, the Foundation has also adopted green initiatives such as biogas plant, briquette boiler, and solar power in some of its kitchens with the aim to reduce carbon footprint and operational costs. Also, in an endeavour to improve the nutritional intake of the beneficiaries, recently it launched a pilot in partnership with the Government of Karnataka to include millets in the school lunch programme.

Undoubtedly, the role of NGOs is significant and important for the overall development and progress of the society. And, organisations such as Akshaya Patra bring about a change in a sustainable manner, right from the grass root level, so that each child grows up to be an asset for the country. Join in the efforts of NGOs and be a part of nation-building.