The Akshaya Patra Foundation, which currently operates the world’s largest school meal program across six states, will provide food for the destitute and the needy at “Aap ki Rasoi” centre at Karolbagh. Honorable chief Minister Sheila Dikshit inaugurated this centre, which is part of the hunger free campaign being run by the Delhi Government earlier in the day today.

The Hunger Free Campaign is an innovative initiative under the Bhagidari scheme of the Delhi Government which intends to ensure at least one full time meal to the homeless and the destitute. Akshaya Patra which provides healthy and hygienic food for the past eight years to over 8.5 lakh children will feed 300 destitute populace of Delhi from this newly inaugurated location at Raigarpura, Karolbagh in Central Delhi.

The ambitious scheme of opening a series of such Aap Ki Rasoi has taken off with seven centres already functional and serving their purpose. More are on the anvil as Akshaya Patra Foundation, in co-ordination and aegis of the Delhi Government which encourages and involves the private & corporate sector to be a part of the social upliftment efforts. It is acting as the nodal agency to bring in a series of corporates, NGOs and private sector companies to lend a hand to the unfortunate and needy.

The latest centre, at Raigarpura in Karolbagh is sponsored by the Taj Group Of Hotels. The Hunger Free Campaign began at 1 pm today with the Inauguration of the centre by the Chief Minister of Delhi Smt. Sheila Dikshit.

Meals would be served to the poor and needy on a regular basis between 12 noon to 3 pm.

“It’s a very good example for public private partnership for the country’s development which will take us way ahead”, opined Smt Dikshit. Suvyekta Narasimhan Das, Project in-charge, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, Mathura said “If we want the country to be developed then it is very important that every one has sufficient to eat and this is only a small step from our side in this regard.”

With Akshaya Patra Foundation playing a positive and catalyst role, the Delhi Government is eliciting a favorable response to adopt many sites for similar purpose.

MORE ABOUT AKSHAYA PATRA

Unlimited Food for Education(NATIONAL LEVEL SCHOOL MEAL PROGRAMME)

According to a UNESCO report, around 13.5 million children in the age group of 6-13 years are out of school in India. Despite the trillion-dollar economic growth, a large chunk of India’s younger generation does not have access to schools because of poverty and malnutrition.

To facilitate the education of needy children, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, provides unlimited noon meals in schools in partnership with the Central and respective state governments of India. Currently the program is feeding around 8.5 lakh children in over 4,500 government, government aided schools and anganwadis (day care centers) in 14 locations across India on any given day.

They are Bangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Bellary, Mangalore and Mysore in Karnataka, Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh, Jaipur, Nathdwara and Baran in Rajasthan, Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar in Gujarat and Puri in Orissa. This is the largest NGO run school meal program in the world.

What makes Akshaya Patra unique?

1. The Akshaya Patra program uses centralized, automated kitchens for cooking food which is then distributed to schools through special purpose vehicles.
2. Akshaya Patra’s kitchens can cook about 100,000 meals in less than five hours with least human intervention and sustained quality.
3. A three item menu is served to children as per the recommendations ofqualified nutritionists.
4. Due to extensive mechanization of the kitchen, the program is able to offer children standardized, high quality, hygienic meals.
5. The program also offers education and health interventions for holistic child development.
6. Akshaya Patra is a secular, not-for-profit program implemented only in government schools where there is no discrimination whatsoever.
7. The program is independently governed by a Board of Trustees & audited by KPMG.
8. A study in the year 2006 by AC Nielsen Org Marg Pvt Ltd, has vouchsafed for the efficacy of the program in increasing attendance and enrolment in schools, improving nutritional status of these children, enhancing their learning abilities and reducing drop out rates.
9. Akshaya Patra program is run with part subsidies from the government, besides financial support from corporates and individual philanthropists.
10. All contributions to The Akshaya Patra Foundation are eligible for 100% tax deduction under section 35AC/80GGA (bb) of the Income Tax Act1961 in India.
11. With a vision to ensure that no child in India is deprived of education because of hunger, the Akshaya Patra Foundation is striving to end hunger and create a human resources pool that will propel India into the league of developed nations.

*Education for ALL Global Monitoring Report 2007, UNESCO.

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