Making a Difference in Assam and Rest of India

Making a Difference in Assam and Rest of India
16 years of Akshaya Patra’s everlasting journey to end child-hunger in India. This article gives an insight into why
the mid-day meal programme was implemented in Assam and in rest of India.
www.akshayapatra.org
The Akshaya Patra Foundation © 2016

This year, Akshaya Patra completes 16 years of its extensive journey
aimed to feed the hungry children in India. In 2013, we met Durga
Prasad—one of the students in Guwahati, Assam, who suffered from
anorexia and malnourishment before he was enrolled in school. His
teachers reported that in only a couple of years, Durga’s health had
significantly improved after Akshaya Patra’s mid-day meal in Assam
began to benefit his life.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO in Assam and nine other states
in India, has implemented Mid-Day Meal Scheme in many government
schools to omit classroom hunger in India. In Assam particularly, the
State Government invited Akshaya Patra to implement mid-day meal
programme to reduce dropout rates and eliminate child labour in the
state. In 2010, a centralised kitchen was set up in Guwahati—Assam’s
largest city, which now serves over 53,000 children every day.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation © 2016

Since 2000, it has been the organisation’s vision that no child in India
should be deprived of education due to hunger and envisages to feed 5
million children by 2020. One of the most important aspects of the
organisation which has led the programme towards achievements is
Compassion—when His Divine Grace AC Bhakivedanta Swami
Prabhupada saw a group of children fighting with street dogs over
scraps of food and decided that no child should go hungry in India.
Here are some of the progresses made by Akshaya Patra in the last 16
years:
- From 1500 school children in Bengaluru to over 1.5 million
beneficiaries across 10 states in India
- Expanded its feeding initiative from mid-day meals to Anganwadi
feeding, old-age homes, disaster relief and many more
- Upgraded the kitchen equipment to high-tech sustainable
resources such as 304 grade stainless steel
- Stretched its presence towards different parts of the globe: the
USA and UK
Certainly, The Foundation’s method to reach millions of children over
the years has seen great success. With successful partnership with
Central Government and State Governments, the Foundation has been
able to make a massive difference in many children’s lives who are
now assured of education and good health. It is due to adapting
sustainable technology and resources and maintaining transparency in
all its activities that it has been possible for Akshaya Patra to reach
millions of children every day. More than 12 of Akshaya Patra’s
kitchens have received ISO certification for they are a beacon of
quality.
To add to its successes, Akshaya Patra Foundation won the
prestigious Nikkei Asia Prize 2016 for its outstanding achievements in
‘Economic and Business Innovation’ category and for contributing
towards a better future for Asia. So far, the mid-day meal
The Akshaya Patra Foundation © 2016

programmehas expanded from 1500 children to over 1.5 million
children making it the world’s largest NGO -run Mid-Day Meal Scheme.
To end the lingering hunger among children, it costs Rs. 750 to feed a
child for an entire year. You can get involved too by making this
contribution and ensuring children in India do not go hungry.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation © 2016