‘Thought for Food’: Akshaya Patra serves its 5-billionth meal to children, through the President

The Akshaya Patra Foundation recently celebrated its 5-billion-meals moment in New Delhi and its completion of 25 years of service to humanity at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre.

President of India Droupadi Murmu graced the event as the chief guest, while Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, was the guest of honour.

The event was held in the presence of Akshaya Patra’s founders —Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman and President of ISKCON, Bengaluru, and Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice-Chairman, ISKCON.

The theme of the event — ‘Suposhit and Sushikshit Bharat for Viksit Bharat’ highlighted the collective efforts towards child nutrition and education for a developed India.

The event was attended by Akshaya Patra’s Board of Trustees, senior government officials, public policy think tanks, philanthropists, supporters and key stakeholders.

On the occasion, the President gave away gifts and served meals to children personally.

Currently in Telangana, Akshaya Patra is offering children 2.5 lakh meals daily through five centralised kitchens.

As an implementing partner of the Government of India’s flagship PM POSHAN initiative, Akshaya Patra has been serving fresh, nutritious meals to millions of children studying in government schools across India.

The Foundation is currently feeding 2.35 million children through its state-of-the-art kitchens in 78 locations across 16 States and 3 Union Territories of India, and aspires to feed three million children every day by 2030.

On the occasion, the President said: “Serving five billion meals in advancement of educational objectives is a remarkable achievement of The Akshaya Patra Foundation. The theme of this event underscores the significance of a nourished and educated society in realizing our national resolve to build a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047. A safe and bright future for our children is not solely the responsibility of the government, but a shared responsibility of us all. When every segment of society works together, we lay a strong foundation for the coming generation. We must ensure every child receives quality education, nutritious food, good health, and a clean and safe environment. These fundamentals enable holistic development of children.”

The flagship PM POSHAN initiative, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is working towards improving the nutritional status of children and encouraging them to attend school regularly.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation was established 25 years ago with the objective that no child in India should be deprived of education because of hunger.

It commenced its feeding operations in Bengaluru and partnered with the Government of Karnataka to implement its pivotal Akshara Dasoha midday meal scheme and established kitchens in other locations of the state.

With the support of various stakeholders, Akshaya Patra gradually expanded its services to other states and union territories in India and became recognised as the world’s largest NGO-run school lunch programme.