18 years of committed effort and perseverance beautifully culminated into a historic milestone on 11 February 2019 as The Akshaya Patra Foundation served the 3 billionth meal since its inception in 2000. The commemoration of this remarkable feat was held in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh in the august presence of Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

The event was also graced by the Honourable Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Ram Naik; Honourable Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath; Shri Shrikant Sharma, Minister of Power, Uttar Pradesh; Shri Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, Minister – Dairy Development, Religious Affairs, Culture, Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj, Uttar Pradesh; Smt Anupma Jaiswal, Minister of State – Basic Education, Child Development and Nutrition, Revenue and Finance, Uttar Pradesh; Smt Hema Malini, MP – Mathura; Shri Karinda Singh, MLA – Govardhan, Shri Shyam Sunder Sharma, MLA – Mant; Shri Pooran Prakash, MLA – Baldev, and Shri Mukesh Arya Bandhu, Mayor – Mathura Vrindavan Nagar Nigam. Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa – Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation; Shri Chanchalapathi Dasa – Vice-Chairman, Shri Mohandas Pai – Independent Trustee, other trustees and officials of Akshaya Patra were present at the occasion. The event was also attended by prominent personalities from the corporate sector and other esteemed organisations who have been supporters and well-wishers of the Foundation including parents of beneficiaries and teachers of beneficiary schools.

Shri Narendra Modi unveiled the ceremonial plague to mark the serving of the 3 billionth meal. Addressing the gathering and appreciating Akshaya Patra’s work, Shri Modi said, “Donation given as a sense of responsibility without the thought of doing a favour, at the right place, at the right time and to deserving people is called ‘satttvik daan’. By providing nutritious meals to children of the nation for the last 18 years, Akshaya Patra is doing this ‘sattvic daan’. For this, I extend my best wishes to all of you associated with the Foundation. Your work is extraordinary, your service is extraordinary; it is an example of incredible dedication. Everyone involved with Akshaya Patra, right from the cooks to the ones who deliver and serve food to the children are helping the nation.” He further said, “Good nutrition and healthy childhood is the foundation of New India. By providing food regularly to children, dedicated workers like you are creating a strong foundation for the country. I congratulate your endeavour and effort; this effort is the best example of the ‘I to We’ journey; this is an example of self to selflessness.”

He later tweeted:

Shri Modi had earlier mentioned about Akshaya Patra on 24 October 2018, during the launch of ‘Self4Society’ App in New Delhi. He said, “Akshaya Patra is a social start-up, which has turned into a movement that provides food to school children”.

Watch the commemoration event of the 3 billionth meal.

Akshaya Patra’s journey

Akshaya Patra began its journey in the year 2000 by feeding just 1,500 children in five Government schools in Bengaluru. Today, it provides daily school meals to more than 1.76 million children across 12 states of India. The Foundation expresses its wholehearted gratitude to the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, State Governments, donors, and supporters for their steadfast support during these 18 years. It is this support that helped Akshaya Patra to serve 3 billion meals. Below is the snapshot of Akshaya Patra’s milestones:

Join Akshaya Patra’s journey

Akshaya Patra invites each and every one to join the ‘feed the children’ movement. These children are the future flagbearers of the nation. Let’s together take India from a ‘developing nation’ to a ‘developed nation’. Be a part of this transformation and your contribution will create a healthy, educated, and prosperous ‘New India’.

Celebrity support is vital for NGOs and the impact it creates is remarkable. And, the best part is celebrities show utmost support and many times go out of their way to advocate for the cause they are associated with. Akshaya Patra has been fortunate to have received generous support from the celebrity community.

For an NGO, support from the community plays a vital role in achieving their mission. Hence, NGOs provide a platform and welcome support from all sections of the society – government sector, corporate sector, small, medium and big businesses, along with the civil society. The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a mid-day meal NGO in India serving school meals to more than 1.76 million children across India has been fortunate to have received generous support of philanthropists from all walks of life including celebrities.

Recently, Shraddha Kapoor, Indian Actress and Singer, and Neel Ghose, Founder of Robin Hood Army showcased their wholehearted support for Akshaya Patra by playing and donating the prize money in Dus Ka Dum 3 and Kaun Banega Crorepati respectively. In the 24^th episode of Dus Ka Dum aired on 26^th August 2018, Shraddha Kapoor enthusiastically announced her support for Akshaya Patra and donated the entire winning amount of Rs. 6-lakh towards the NGO. Similarly, Neel Ghose extended his wholehearted support for Akshaya Patra as he graced the hot seat on 14^th September 2018 as part of the Kaun Banega Crorepati ‘s special segment called Karamveers. He was accompanied by Indian actress Kajol. Neel generously donated the winning amount of Rs. 6,40,000 to Akshaya Patra.

Watch Shraddha Kapoor and Neel Ghose winning it for Akshaya Patra.

In the past too, many noted celebrities have identified with Akshaya Patra’s cause and has extended their tremendous support in various occasions. To name a few are: Sanjeev Kapoor (Celebrity Chef and Entrepreneur), Shankar Mahadevan (Composer and Playback Singer), Vivek Oberoi (Indian Actor), Sonali Bendre (Indian Actress), S.S. Rajamouli (Indian Director and Screenwriter), A.R. Rahman (Indian Music Director, Composer, Singer-Songwriter, and Music Producer), Ram Sampath (Indian Composer, Music Producer, and Musician), and Sona Mohapatra (Indian Singer, Music Composer, and Lyricist).