How Akshaya Patra Feeds Over 1.5 Million Children Every Day?

Akshaya Patra started in 2001 by serving meals to around 1,500 children of five government schools in Bengaluru. The underlying thought was that children should not be deprived of education because of hunger. In 2004, when the Government of India launched its ambitious Mid-day Meal Scheme, Akshaya Patra’s expertise in the field came as an advantage. It helped the Foundation get into a public-private partnership with the Government for the implementation of this scheme.

Over the course of 15 years, Akshaya Patra has established its kitchens in 24 locations and feeds over 1.5 million children of 11,360 schools across ten states. The role of NGO is to provide hygienic food to lakhs of children across the country. The journey from 1,500 children in Bengaluru to over 1.5 million children across the country would not have been possible if it was not for (i) technology and (ii) successful partnership with governments and other stakeholders.

Role of Technology

Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. When the time came to scale up, Akshaya Patra had to resort to technology. Until then, the process mainly revolved around manual cooking. If the Foundation was to serve 100,000 meals daily, it had to improvise existing technology … and improvise it did. Over the course of time, kitchens were designed and established across the country; most of which have the capacity to cook meals for around 100,000 children at a time.

Akshaya Patra kitchens have custom-made machines to ensure that the cooking process is a smooth sail. Also, seven of these kitchens employ the time-saving gravity-flow mechanism; namely Lucknow, Vrindavan, Bhubaneshwar, Ahmedabad, Hubballi, Ballari, and Vasanthapura. The Hubballi kitchen has been featured in Nat Geo’s Mega Kitchen series.

These kitchens are equipped with rice cauldrons, which can prepare 500 litres rice at a time, and sambhar cauldron, which can prepare 1,200 – 3,000 litres of dal at a time. Around 6,000 kg of rice, 4 – 5 tonnes of vegetables, and 6,000 litres of sambhar is prepared in just under four hours. Similarly, the roti-making machine used in kitchens in North India can dish out 40,000 rotis in an hour. The use of cauldrons with easy-tilt mechanism makes it easier to dispense food.

Of the 24 locations across the country, Baran (Rajasthan) and Nayagarh (Orissa) employ the decentralised kitchen model, as the terrain of these places make transportation of food a tough task. So what Akshaya Patra has done, is employed local women’s self-help groups (SHGs) to cook the meals. The entire process is monitored by a team appointed by Akshaya Patra to ensure hygiene and efficiency. These two units help Akshaya Patra reach out to over 36,000 children every day.

Akshaya Patra uses custom-designed insulated vehicles to deliver food from kitchens to school. So firstly, there is no spillage during transportation, and secondly, children are served fresh, hot meal every day.

Successful Partnerships

Akshaya Patra is the largest NGO in India serving mid-day meals. It has got into a partnership with the Central Government as well as the State Governments of Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, and Assam for the implementation of the Mid-day Meal Programme. The Government is the biggest donor for the organisation; may it be grants or grains.

Additionally, the Foundation works closely with various corporate houses and trusts and foundations to make the mammoth task possible. The Infosys Foundation and Jamsetji Tata Trust have helped Akshaya Patra to equip its kitchens with latest technology among other things. Similarly, Cisco has partnered with Akshaya Patra for its Global Hunger Relief campaign as a part of which the company raises funds for the Mid-day Meal Programme.

The list of partners is lengthy and includes names like the Caterpillar Foundation, The Hans Foundation, Kusuma Foundation, Give India, etc.

The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) provision in the Companies Act 2013, which makes it mandatory for corporates to spend at least 2% of average net profits for the last three years on CSR activities, has prompted many companies to come forward to help the society. Akshaya Patra is one of the several NGOs in India that have benefited from the same.

If feeding 1.5 million children is mammoth task, feeding 5 million children is an even bigger challenge, and that’s what The Akshaya Patra Foundation is aiming for. In doing so, we intend to reach out to new locations as well. In order to achieve this, we need your help. We accept tax deductible donations under Section 35 AC or Section 80 GGA, in which case the assesse is eligible for 100% deduction. Your contribution can help us reach out to more children … nourish more dreams and smiles.