| Type | Midday meal programme for underprivileged school children in Government and govt-aided schools in 8 states in India |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2000 |
| Location | http://www.akshayapatra.org/our-reach |
Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organization providing hot, nutritious freshly cooked classroom lunches for nearly 1.3 million underprivileged children in India. It is a Non-Governmental Organization in India.[1] It runs the world’s largest NGO midday meal program for underprivileged school children in India.[2]
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The Foundation was started in 2000[3] feeding 1500 children in schools in Bangalore. Today it has grown into a huge organization. The current Chairman, Madhu Pandit Das is an IIT engineer turned social entrepreneur.[4] The Sanskrit word Akshaya Patra means abundant, inexhaustible bowl of food), and it has its origin in the Hindu epic Mahabharata.
In June 2000, Akshaya Patra started feeding 1500 children in 5 schools in Bangalore. At that time there was no State run school meal program in Karnataka. Within just 10 years of its inception, Akshaya Patra today feeds nearly 1.3 million[5] children in 8 states from 18 kitchens all over India.
A public-private partnership project, Akshaya Patra is a secular program that claims to combine good management, innovative technology and smart engineering to deliver school lunch at a fraction of the cost of similar programs in other parts of the world.[6]
With an average government subsidy of 50 percent, $23 can feed two children for a year. For many of the children in India[7], this is their only complete meal for the day. This gives them an incentive to come to school, stay in school and provides them with the necessary nutrients they need to develop their cognitive abilities to focus on learning.
Akshaya Patra caters to the children according to their taste and so the menu is decided keeping the child's tastes and nutrition[8] in mind.
Akshaya Patra kitchens in 18 locations are of two types: Centralized kitchens and Decentralized kitchens.
Centralized kitchens[9] have the capcity to cook between 50 000 and 150 000 meals daily thus achieving economies of scale. Cooking takes place in mechanized, steam heated cauldrons custom built to reduce the cook to consume time.
Mechanization also helps Akshaya Patra maintain very high standards of hygiene where there is very less human interference in the cooking process. Food is cooked in steam heated cauldrons and packed in stainless steel containers and transported to various schools in custom built vehicles.
The foundation has its largest kitchen located in Hubli-Dharwad, with a capacity to cook for 185,000 students in less than five hours. The organization sources its food stocks from local markets, thereby reducing costs associated with transportation and food spoilage, while supporting the local economy.
A decentralized kitchen model is one where all the cooking activities of a school take place in an area close to the school itself.Decentralized kitchens are set up in remote areas of the country where difficult terrain makes setting up of large infrastructures infeasible. In such areas, Akshaya Patra representatives identify self-help groups (in many cases women’s groups), who will then carry out the cooking process. They are trained and educated to prepare the meals in a healthy, hygienic manner and provided with all the raw materials and infrastructure required for cooking.
Askhaya Patra provides mid-day meals to school children in 18 locations across India:
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The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a public, charitable, secular Trust, registered in Bangalore. The Board of Trustees comprise missionaries of ISKCON Bangalore, corporate professionals, and entrepreneurs.
Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman An M.Tech post graduate from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai, Madhu Pandit Dasa is the visionary who initiated the Akshaya Patra program in the year 2000, developing a technology-driven operating model.
Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice-chairman Chanchalapathi Dasa, is a post-graduate from the premier institution, the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and provides strategic directions to the Akshaya Patra program.
Chitranga Chaitanya Dasa, Program Director A food expert, CC Das brings with him special skills in fund-raising and was instrumental in setting up the overseas offices of the Foundation.
T.V.Mohandas Pai, Board member, Infosys Technologies An ace chartered accountant by profession, Mohandas Pai has held key positions in Infosys since 1994. In addition to his current responsibilities, Pai is working with governments and decision-makers across India to improve the quality of education in the country.
Abhay Jain,Head - Group corporate affairs, Manipal Education and Medical Group Abhay Jain is one of the largest distributors for polymers in South India. He is on the Board of Governors of the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB) and the Maliviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur. He has also served as the vice president in the Birla Group of companies.
Ramdas Kamath,Vice-president (finance & admin), Infosys Technologies Deeply committed to the socio-cultural development of India, Ramdas Kamath is involved in philanthropic activities and is particularly passionate about underprivileged children's welfare.
V.Balakrishnan,CFO, Infosys Technologies Bringing with him several years of finance and accounts expertise, Balakrishnan also serves on the boards of Infosys Technologies Australia Pty Limited and Infosys Consulting, Inc, both wholly owned subsidiaries.
Raj Kondur,Chairman, Nirvana Business Solutions An alumnus of the Harvard Business School, Raj Kondur has worked for several years in Morgan Stanley and AT Kearney in the US and is known for his expertise in fund management.
We comply with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and, to a large extent, with the Indian Accounting Standards issued by the Institute of Chartered accountants of India. We also apply the latest principles of Fair value accounting and recognize all in kind donations.
Akshaya Patra is audited by KPMG.
An AC Nielsen Impact Study of the program showed an improvement in school enrollment, dropout rates with a continuous increase in classroom performance.[11] The foundation aims to serve 5 million children daily by 2020.
Harvard Business School did a case study on Akshaya Patra in 2007 for its MBA curriculum on Akshaya Patra's model for precise time management.[12]
US Congressional Hunger Centre (CHC) has awarded an International Fellow to Akshaya Patra out of 35 social organizations around the world.
World Economic Forum invited Akshaya Patra to share its experiences for THE PROJECT HUNGER in Africa.
Vrindavan in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is called the ‘City of Widows’. This is where upper-caste Hindu widows, disowned by their families, come to live. They are considered a bad omen so are forced to shave their heads, wear white clothes and to sing hymns in temples to survive. Akshaya Patra has a lunch program for them.
The Akshaya Patra foundation has been recognized for its good work by organizations and personalities all over the world.
→ CSO Partners Annual Reporting Award 2011 (runner-up) → Indian Express Innovation Award → ICAI Gold shield award for excellence in financial reporting
In a letter, Akshaya Patra was heralded by President Barack Obama as “an imaginative approach that has the potential to serve as a model for other countries.
Akshaya Patra has been recognized by the Limca Book of Records and was the winner of the 2008 CNBC-TV India Business Leader of the Year Award.[13]
Director Madhu Pandit Das has been engaged in several controversies relating to fraud and falsifying documents.
In 2011 the High Court of Karnataka found that Das falsified, tampered with, and fabricated documents relating to ownership of a temple in Bangalore which he was trying to claim.[14]
An NGO has accused Akshaya Patra of financial fraud by stating that Akshaya Patra has sufficient government funding, however raises public donations, which are siphoned out to benefit Madhu Pandit Das.[15] An ISKCON branch in Bangalore similarly has been engaged in legal action with him since 1998. [16]