Akshaya Patra, the world largest school meal program which is currently feeding over one million children everyday, has found a new beneficiary in the form of State Bank of Mysore (SBM). SBM has come forward to lend a hand to the foundation in its yeoman work of feeding hungry school children across India by donating a food distribution vehicle which will be used to ferry the food from the Akshaya Patra kitchen’s to far flung schools in the region.
Today, Sri. O P Bhatt, Chairman, State Bank Group, handed over the keys of the state-of-the-art vehicle to Sri. Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman, the Akshaya Patra Foundation. The addition of the new vehicle will help Akshaya Patra to ferry food to more schools and more children.
On this occasion Sri. Madhu Pandit Dasa said, “We are pleased that State Bank of Mysore has helped us by donating the food distribution vehicle, this will ensure that we will reach out to more and more underprivileged school children day after day. I am sure that this noble gesture will encourage other corporates to support us. Every new supporter will enable us to bring smiles to the faces of thousands of children in the country.” He further added “now that we have reached one million mark, we expect to reach the magical figure of five million children by 2020.”
ABOUT THE AKSHAYA PATRA FOUNDATION
The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a non-profit, Bangalore-based secular trust, evolved the free meal program in schools in the year 2000. What started as a pilot project in five schools in Bangalore, feeding 1,500 children, has now grown into a mammoth endeavor covering over 10,08,518 children in about 5,700 government, government aided schools and anganwadis (day care centers) in 17 locations spread across seven states in India, day after day. This is amongst the largest school meal NGO run program in the world. The foundation expects to reach a magical figure of five million children by 2020.
Six days a week, without a stop, the foundation provides unlimited, nutritious, hygienically cooked noon meals in government schools and government-run day-care centres (anganwadis), Ushering in a technology-intensive operating model that ensures high-quality, hygienic food on one hand and increases internal efficiencies on the other, the program has brought about policy changes at the state government levels and created a new image for mid-day meals in India. Akshaya Patra is an eloquent demonstration of public private partnership as it is run with part subsidies from the government, besides financial support from corporates and individual philanthropists.
The program is independently governed by a Board of Trustees, an Advisory Panel consisting of professionals from the corporate world & bureaucracy, dedicated employees and a team of volunteers. The program is advised in rigorous accounting standards and services by KPMG to ensure transparency and accountability to all its donors. A study in the year 2006 by AC Nielsen Org Marg, has vouchsafed for the efficacy of the program in increasing attendance in schools, improving nutritional status of these children, enhancing their learning abilities and reducing drop out rates.
All contributions to The Akshaya Patra Foundation are eligible for 100% tax deduction under section 35AC/80GGA (bb) of the Income Tax Act 1961 in India.
