When you track conversations on blogs, forums, and social networks in India, evidently yet surprisingly you find many discussions are related to social development. These discussions are also criticisms directly from the general public on various issues, policies and implementation. It is profound knowledge when one gets an opportunity as an organisation to find out that there are more people that are worried about a cause you are striving to work for. When we see that the people on these platforms discuss about mid day meals scheme, education, hunger and children; a non-profit like Akshaya Patra is overwhelmed.
We come across many such discussions on various forums these days and such discussions do instil our faith and helps us make arduous efforts to reach our goal. It is a confirmation to us that people know about Akshaya Patra and that they are spreading our message. This link will take you to one such brainstorm that we hope occurs every where as by such forums, not only people get to know about Akshaya Patra but also many more NGO’s and individuals get into the groove and take on issues that is really threat to India today. Hunger, infant mortality, education to name a few…
The following was a comment by Mr. Karthikeyan A on LinkedIn about Akshaya Patra.
“The best Public Services are available in Finland and even their schooling system is praised all over the world, We also know their innovation capabilities through some brands like Nokia, Kone ….etc
In both Sweden and Finland, free school meals are offered to all pupils. This practice has been in place since 1948 in Finland, and was introduced to Sweden in 1973.
India
The Midday Meal Scheme is a school meal programme in India. 120 million children are covered under the Midday Meal Scheme in India, making it the largest school lunch programme in the world. Originally only in the states of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, it has now been expanded to all parts of India after a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of India on November 28, 2001.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation runs the world’s largest NGO-run midday meal programme serving freshly cooked hot meals to over 1.2 million underprivileged children in 8 states of India. Akshaya Patra works with part subsidies from the government and partly by donations from individuals, philanthropists and corporates. Through Akshaya Patra, it takes only $31 to feed 2 children for a whole year.
The scheme involves provision of lunch free of cost to school-children on all working days. The key objectives of the programme are to protect children from hunger and malnutrition, increasing school enrolment and attendance, improved socialisation among children belonging to all castes, and social empowerment by providing employment for women. Due to the immense cost of catering for so many schoolchildren and the rapid growth of the poor sending their children to school, the government has raised funding for the programme from Rs. 3010 crore to Rs. 4813 crore (Rs 48 billion, $1.2 billion USD) in 2006-2007 ……”
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