General

After going through a tough time with the COVID-19 crisis, all of us are looking forward to ending this season. It is the tax season and is not anyone’s favourite time of the year. However, as responsible citizens, we have to pay our taxes now. Whether you are a salaried employee or a self-employed, a part of your income is deducted as tax. There is a huge list of how you get tax exemption – Public Provident Fund, House Rent Allowance, education loan, donations, etc.

Paying income tax is our responsibility. But, there are ways in which you can save tax too and that effective way is by getting involved with an NGO. That’s right, non-governmental organizations address issues focus on alleviating problems at grass root levels; this could include elderly care, bio conservation, wildlife preservation, hunger, children’s education, etc.

There could be many reasons why you would donate to charities, but isn’t it a bonus if you can change lives and save tax in return? Once you embark upon the journey of giving with Akshaya Patra, you change lives of children who have certain dreams – dreams of becoming a Doctor, a Singer, an Agricultural Officer, A chef, etc.

Read stories of our beneficiary children here.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO that serves children with nutritious mid-day meals to children in Government and Government-aided schools. Daily, 1.8 million children are fed with school meals in 52 locations across 12 States & 2 Union Territories. But the pandemic led to the closure of schools for an indefinite time. This resulted in children becoming visibly weaker since they did not get access to their only source of a healthy meal. To continue its service to children, Akshaya Patra began the Happiness Kits programme which ensured that their health, immunity, hygiene and learning was not hampered during the crisis. This programme began on 25th August 2020 and so far, 5 lakh beneficiaries have received the Happiness Kit that provides them with peanuts, desi chana, jaggery, ragi flour, turmeric powder, soaps, sanitisers, sanitary pack (for girl beneficiaries), activity workbook and stationeries. Yet, 13 lakh mid-day meal beneficiaries await for their share of Happiness Kits.
Provide Happiness Kits & gain income tax exemption by donating here.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has allowed the reopening of schools in a phase-wise manner. But the question remains – Are schools safe for children now? To support the safe reopening of schools, Akshaya Patra has started the School Reopen Sanitisation Project. By providing personal items like masks and water bottles; hygiene items like sanitisers and soaps; infrastructural materials like sanitiser dispenser; and posters that create awareness and re-iterate social distancing, are provided to each school. This means that children can be safe, secure and yet enjoy the classroom atmosphere.
Ensure a healthy learning environment for children by donating here.

Every donation is utilised towards the betterment of children’s health – either by serving mid-day meals or by distributing Happiness Kits or creating a safe school environment. Donate and save tax under section 80G of the Income Tax of India, 1961. All donations made above ₹500 are eligible for tax exemption. It’s a win-win situation where you support a noble cause and save in return.

New normal has just begun; slowly things are trying to get back to their old lifestyles with a few changes here and there. So is the case with Akshaya Patra, an NGO in India too. As schools have decided to start reopening with the guidelines given by the Central Government of India, the Foundation’s kitchens have also started gearing up. Here is the latest Akshaya Patra’s News – the NGO has inaugurated its centralised kitchens in Jamnagar, Gujarat and Guwahati, Assam.

More kitchens mean more places to serve mid-day meals to school children. So far in Gujarat, 6 kitchens were set up in Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Vadodara, Surat, Kalol and Bhuj. The NGO kitchen in Jamnagar will be a centralised unit that will prepare, cook and deliver mid-day meals to children studying in Government and Government-aided schools of the city.

However, the kitchen in Guwahati has been relocated in a different location in the city itself and has been upgraded to feed more mid-day meal beneficiaries when compared to the earlier number of 20,000 school children.

Akshaya Patra’s kitchens in Jamnagar and Guwahati
The centralised kitchen in Jamnagar was inaugurated on 15th January 2021 by the Chief Minister of the state, Shri Vijay Rupani and in Guwahati on 20th January 2021 by the Chief Minister of Assam, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal. The kitchens are sponsored by The Reliance Foundation and Jamnagar Municipal Corporation and Airports Authority of India respectively that have the capacity to cook 50,000 meals each, every day. Here is a glimpse of the inauguration of each of these kitchens:

Inauguration of Jamnagar kitchen

Inauguration of Guwahati kitchen

Utmost care is taken to ensure that children’s health is not compromised. Stainless steel of 304 grade is used in the kitchens for the endurance of high levels of temperatures. These include rice chutes, rice cookers, dal cauldrons, vegetable cutters, roti making machine, etc.

Top-notch equipment used for hygienic preparation of food
A series of high-end equipment is used to ensure minimal human interaction while food is being prepared. This includes:

Rice cauldrons
These rice cauldrons are a bigger version of the rice cookers used at home. However, these have a capacity of 500 litres. These cauldrons are easy to clean and handle with a steam jacket. Once the rice is cooked, the whole cauldron can be tilted to be packed into insulated vessels at a later stage of delivery.

Atta kneading and Roti making machine
Akshaya Patra caters to the local palate to avoid wastage of food. Since rotis are preferred more in the North States than in Southern India, to reduce time spent in kneading and rolling, a roti-making machine is installed in the Guwahati and Jamnagar kitchens. Each machine has the capacity of kneading 75 kilos of wheat flour per hour and making a whopping number of 10,000 rotis per hour.

Biogas and RO plants
Akshaya Patra has adopted biogas systems in its centralised kitchens to convert organic waste into heat energy. This plant has the capacity to convert 1,000 kilos into clean energy every single day. This energy is used for fire-based cooking like frying and seasoning.

The kitchens use a three-step purification technology called Reverse Osmosis. This method of purification is used to make drinking water more potable. This also ensures that children’s health is not affected.

The NGO kitchens in Jamnagar and Guwahati use high-end technology that will feed approximately one lakh children on a daily basis. This means that the NGO in India is one more step closer to achieving its mission of feeding 5 million children by 2025.

Support Akshaya Patra in its endeavours.

On December 8, 2020, we welcomed the Assistant Administrative Officer (AAO) from Principal Accountant General Office, Hyderabad, Mr S.V.V.S Prasad to our newest kitchen in Gambhiram, Andhra Pradesh.

Mr Prasad toured the kitchen facility, to get a first-hand look at the operations inside the mega-kitchen capable of cooking 30,000 meals a day. The Gambhiram facility serves midday meals to 179 schools in the area, serving over 14,000 beneficiaries every school day. During the lockdown, the kitchen facility was mobilized for Akshaya Patra’s COVID-19 Relief Efforts, which included cooked meals and dry ration kit distribution to vulnerable families.

On completion of the tour and a detailed review of the operations, Shri Prasad Ji graciously took a moment to share a few words of encouragement, “I personally found the activities taken up i.e. distribution of dry rations and Happiness Kits by the organization during the COIVD-19 pandemic are very helpful to school going children. Further, the organization is maintaining kitchen with utmost care following safety norms and providing nutritious food to children.” He signs off, “I wish the staff of the organization for their contribution in this great service to the needy children. I hope the organization will cover more districts in A.P in the coming years. All the best Akshaya Patra Foundation.”

We thank Shri Prasad Ji for his kind wishes and words of encouragement.

Thanks to the support of our generous donors and well-wishers, Akshaya Patra continues serving its beneficiary children through the Happiness Kits Initiative and supporting vulnerable families through COVID-19 Relief Efforts.

The service continues…

Your greatness is not what you have, but in what you give, said Alice Hawker.
This saying holds good even today. Charity means generosity in giving something to the needy out of kindness. This act could involve doing charitable acts at home or making charitable donations towards various NGOs. It is a widely believed notion that charity brings prosperity. Prosperity means a range of things that include:
• Spiritual growth
• Success
• Financial gain
• Profit in return
Involving in an act of charity generally means that apart from our own self, you help someone else’s life to get better. As one big society and family, we need to create a supportive environment for each other’s well-being.

What are the benefits of making a donation?
By contributing towards making someone’s life better:

• You change a person’s life completely – While you help those in need, you develop positive characters in yourself. When you support in relieving others from their struggles, you gain another perspective in life – a perspective in which you start understanding other’s struggles.
• You set an example for the next generation – Generosity can be a simple concept which can teach children to be a ‘giver’ and kind. When children grow up into being generous adults, a mature selfless is established where everyone takes care of each other. Children will know that giving their time, energy and actions without expecting anything in return is a high form of reward.
• You gain happiness and satisfaction for having changed lives – A study from Syracuse University in 2007, concluded that people who are likely to give, declare themselves to be more than non-givers.
How we treat other is how we would like to be treated ourselves. This is a golden rule of life that drives all of us to help others consistently.

What are the different forms of helping others?
There is no limitation to work towards the betterment of people. There are different ways in which one can do good. This can either be by donating in-kind towards a cause or by making online donations. There are millions of NGOs in India that are in need of charitable donations.
One such charity in India is The Akshaya Patra Foundation, which implements the Central Government’s Mid-Day Meal Programme.

Benefits of donating to Akshaya Patra
Donating healthy meals to children helps them to grow into responsible citizens of tomorrow. It helps in:
• Overall physical and cognitive development of children.
• Increasing the attention span and ability to concentrate better in class.
• Decreasing school dropout rates.
• Increasing number of children enrolling in schools.
• Improving nutritional levels in children.

By giving them a well-deserved school life, you increase your chances of receiving goodness in your life. Apart from getting millions of good-wishes, you benefit monetarily with Akshaya Patra. This means that you gain tax exemption on every donation made towards Akshaya Patra’s cause. Give more to gain more happiness in your life.

Your donation can be the reason for millions of smiles

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a non-profit organisation that has continuously worked towards providing mid-day meals to children studying in Government and Government-aided schools. It serves 1.8 million children across 52 locations spread in 12 States and 2 Union Territories. Donate and make a difference into the lives of people who really need your support. Be it in times of crisis or during regular days, your contribution goes a long way.

As we grew up from being little, mischievous children to mature, decision-making adults, there was a realisation that set in. Every step we take is always towards making progress. This applies to individuals, businesses, organizations and every being that strives to achieve. This is the story of Akshaya Patra as well. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a non-profit organization that works towards providing unlimited food for education to children studying in Government schools and Government-aided schools.

Each school day, Akshaya Patra beneficiaries receive locally palatable school meals. For example, while children of Rajasthan enjoy their state-specific menu items during lunch, children of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha or any other state are served with lunch that suits their local taste buds. However, utmost care is taken to ensure all children receive the recommended dietary nutrients every single day.

Akshaya Patra’s reach across India:
• 18,00,907 children
• 19,039 schools
• 52 locations
• 12 States & 2 Union Territories

Akshaya Patra has been working relentlessly towards providing school meals to school children on a daily basis since 2000. While making progresses to nourish more and more children with wholesome mid-day meals, Akshaya Patra also focusses on Anganwadi Feeding Programme, Breakfast Programme, and Meal Plate Distribution Programme.

Below is an overview of Akshaya Patra’s work during the fiscal 2019-2020:

New kitchens:
With the objective to benefit more children with Mid-Day Meal Programme, Akshaya Patra started new kitchens in 10 locations:

Disaster relief service:
Akshaya Patra proactively responded to several natural disasters and crisis by providing food to the needy and affected people. In 2019-2020, Akshaya Patra stepped up during:
• Odisha Cyclone Relief (15 May 2019 to 6 June 2019): It served a total of 1 lakh meals in cyclone-hit areas of Brahmagiri, Satar, Kanas, Gok, and Satyabadi
• Assam Flood Relief (17 July 2019 to 3 August 2019): It served a total of 52,880 meals in Athgaon area of Kamrup District.
• North Karnataka Flood Relief (6 August 2019 to 17 August 2019): It served a total of 2,19,736 meals in Dharwad region.
• COVID-19 Relief Service (25th March 2020 till present day): It served 33,52,911 meals and 1,64,066 dry grocery kits across Rajasthan, Gujarat, NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh as on 7th April 2020.

Achievements:
• The Akshaya Patra Foundation was honoured with the Outlook Poshan Special Jury Award in 2019 for its valuable contribution in the Urban Nutrition (Institution) category.
• Akshaya Patra won the BBC World Service Global Food Champion Award 2019, which is an annual award that honours people or causes that help societies and inspires lives.
• The Mahatma Award for Social Good was conferred on The Akshaya Patra Foundation for its impact on society by implementing the Mid-Day Meal Programme.
• Akshaya Patra’s Thane kitchen received the CII Award for strong commitment to food safety in the category of ‘Small & Medium Food Service – Catering.
• The Jury of CII recommended the recognition level of Trophy for Outstanding Performance in Food Safety to Akshaya Patra’s Bhavnagar Kitchen.
• The Indian Chamber of Commerce – Social Impact Awards 2020 was honoured to The Akshaya Patra Foundation for ‘Promoting Education in Large Project Category.’
• Akshaya Patra was honoured with Rotary Karnataka CSR Awards 2020 in the category of CSR Excellence in Basic Education and Literacy.
• Akshaya Patra Won Gold at League of American Communications Professionals (LACP) vision Awards.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation has diligently worked towards serving the Nation and its citizens. There are many tasks that are still in line for making the future better. You can also contribute towards the role of NGO and reach out to fellow citizens and children of the nation.

Akshaya Patra has left no stone unturned to nourish children on each school day and provide food relief to the needy during crisis hours.
Your contribution will definitely ensure a better and brighter future.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one of the largest mid-day meal NGOs in India. It provides freshly cooked, nutritious meals to 18,02,517 school children across the country. In Andhra Pradesh alone, it serves 1,33,343 children studying in 1,604 schools across eight locations.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one of the oldest and the largest implementor of the Midday Meal Programme in India. Established in 2000, it supports education by providing freshly cooked, nutritious meals on each school day to children of Government schools and Government-aided schools.

Since its initial days, Akshaya Patra has always scaled up its operations in a strategic and sustainable manner. Akshaya Patra kitchens are present in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Daman-DNH, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, and Uttar Pradesh. Here is a quick look at Akshaya Patra’s work in Andhra Pradesh.

Akshaya Patra’s expansion to Andhra Pradesh
As an NGO in Andhra Pradesh, Akshaya Patra first set up its kitchen in 2008. Today, it is operating eight kitchens in the state.

At a glance: Akshaya Patra’s work in Andhra Pradesh

Kind of meals served
As a Midday Meal Programme implementor, Akshaya Patra understands the significance of providing nutritious meals to children. To ensure children consume their meals readily and happily, Akshaya Patra has designed location-specific menus by keeping intact the nutritional levels as recommended by the Central Mid-Day Meal Scheme. Akshaya Patra kitchens also follow a cyclical menu so that each day children receive different items as part of their school meal.

Operating as an NGO in Andhra Pradesh, Akshaya Patra serves the following based on a cyclical menu: rice, vegetable biryani, jeera rice, mint rice, kaliya, pulihora, sambar, dal, green leafy vegetable, dal, bendekaya pulusu curry, pappucharu, tomato rasam, pepper rasam, vegetable curry, borogu undalu, majjigapulusu, raitha, butter milk, janthikalu, rava kesari, rice kheer, sweet pongal, chikki, banana, corn flakes, and pickle.

Meet the beneficiaries
As an NGO in Andhra Pradesh, Akshaya Patra is nurturing 1,33,343 dreams every day. Below is a snapshot of couple of dreams:

Help to benefit more children
Just one moment of your generosity can do wonders in the lives of children – right from providing them with the much-needed school meals, supporting their regular schooling to empowering them to achieve their dreams. Choose how would you want to extend your support for the Midday Meal Programme from the below-mentioned ways:

• Donate online – https://www.akshayapatra.org/donate-online
• Conduct an online fundraising campaign – https://www.akshayapatra.org/fundraise-with-us
• Become an online ambassador and spread the word about Akshaya Patra in your social media network – https://www.akshayapatra.org/ambassador

You have the power to empower. Change a child’s life today!

A recipient of an honour ‘The World’s Largest NGO-run School Lunch Programme’, The Akshaya Patra Foundation – an NGO in Bangalore aims at serving wholesome meals to the school children and eradicate classroom hunger in India.

The kitchens form the heart and soul of the Foundation. Getting meals ready for over 1.7 million children each day calls for a highly mechanised and scalable infrastructure. So, the Foundation has come up with the ‘Centralised Kitchen Concept‘ to enhance the cooking operations and serve more.

Depending on the need, geographical terrain and road connectivity of the location, Akshaya Patra concludes on the model of the kitchen. Out of 38 kitchens across India, 36 kitchens comply with the centralised model, and 2 locations follow a decentralised model.

Jigani Kitchen at a Glance

Taking a tour of the Jigani kitchen, one can easily sense that every corner of the kitchen is thoughtfully ideated and speaks on how it makes the beating heart of Akshaya Patra.

To increase efficiency and productivity, the Foundation has adopted various technologies in the kitchen operations. Here’s a sneak peek at some of them:

Roti-making machine - The roti-making machine at Jigani has a capacity to roll out 10,000 rotis (Indian flatbread) in an hour. This improves sanitation and efficiency as the entire process is mechanised and there is nominal human interruption.

Stainless steel vessels - Akshaya Patra uses stainless steel vessels in the Jigani kitchen with an idea to distribute heat evenly, avoid food from sticking, and keeping food indestructible.

Conveyor belt  and honeycomb delivery vehicles — To make the loading process of prepared meals easier and faster, this centralised kitchen concept has adopted the concept of conveyor belts. The vessels with packed meals are sent across on a conveyor belt which gets loaded on the specially customised (honeycomb design) vehicles. Honeycomb design is adapted in the delivery vehicles to avoid spillage of food.

Reverse Osmosis System — The kitchen uses purified water specifically filtered in a 3-step purifier of the plant. It is a water purification technology to make drinking water more potable. Flexible operation and resistance to scaling enhances the reliability of RO system in the cooking operations.

Such state-of art kitchens of Akshaya Patra, an NGO in Bangalore, is adding up to its noble cause of feeding school children and helping them to live happy and healthy.

Take a tour to our kitchens today and support our cause!

The Government of India has been continuously attempting to improve the nutritional status of the Indian children. So far, the government has initiated and implemented several schemes such as Anganwadi feeding, Mid-Day Meal Scheme, and Integrated Child Development Services. Over the years, these programmes have shown tangible results in the health and nutritional status of children across the country. To further the impact of these programmes in a more focussed manner, the Government of India recently launched the National Nutrition Mission, also referred to as ‘Poshan Abhiyaan’.

What is National Nutrition Mission?

According to a government press release dated December 2017, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved setting up of National Nutrition Mission (NNM) with a three-year budget of Rs. 9046.17 crore commencing from 2017-18. Soon after this announcement, in March 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Mission at an event in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan.

The National Nutrition Mission is a comprehensive approach towards integrating various nutrition-oriented schemes to improve the nutrition level in the country targeting children and pregnant women. The NMM will act as an apex body with the responsibility to monitor, supervise, fix targets and guide the nutrition related interventions across the Ministries. The NMM aims to create a synergy and link schemes with each other having common goals and deal with nutrition-related issues in a more focussed manner. Below is a quick overview of the NMM:

What is Akshaya Patra’s role in National Nutrition Mission?

The NMM is indeed a robust approach and the success of it will require a concerted effort from government, corporates, NGOs, and the civil society. Hence, The Akshaya Patra Foundation with 18 years of experience in executing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme will certainly has a crucial role to play in the implementation of the NMM. Currently, there are 34 centralised Akshaya Patra kitchens and the Foundation also has operational decentralised kitchens in two locations. All the kitchens of Akshaya Patra adhere to standard operational processes and have strict hygiene and cleanliness processes. The Foundation ensures that every meal that is served is freshly cooked, nutritious, clean, hygienic, and tasty.

Shridhar Venkat, CEO of The Foundation says, “It is important to ensure that the high standards of cleanliness and quality of meals that Akshaya Patra adheres to, is maintained even after the food is delivered, right until it is consumed by children. In order to facilitate this, we plan to raise awareness among the school authorities and children.” He further added, “In order to enhance the nutritional value of meals, we plan to include high fibre, protein-rich millets and micro-nutrient dense fortified rice in our meals. We have started the millet integration project in Bangalore and Hyderabad. Similarly, over 6-lakh children are benefiting from our ‘Rice Fortification’ programme.”

Recently, Akshaya Patra also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Nutrition International India to Improve Nutritional Status of Women and Children in India. Click here to read more.

Presently, Akshaya Patra is providing nutritious meals to more than 1.7 million children studying in 14,173 schools across 36 locations of 12 states. The Foundation aims to feed 5 million children by 2020. The objective of Akshaya Patra is in line with the NMM and it is leaving no stone unturned to nourish the children of India.

How can you be a part of National Nutrition Mission?

The government and the implementing NGOs have all geared up to implement the National Nutrition Mission. And, it’s time that each of us got involved with this Mission too. School meals nourish, nurture, and instil confidence in children. And, this shapes the future of children and maps the progress of the country. So, step forward and sponsor a child’s school meal.

Source:
• www.icds-wcd.nic.in/nnm/NNM-Web-Contents/UPPER-MENU/AboutNNM/PIB_release_NationalNutritionMission.pdf
• pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=177166
• www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/the-torchbearers-of-mission-nutrition-the-akshaya-patra-foundation-118062100679_1.html
• www.icds-wcd.nic.in/nnm/NNM-Web-Contents/UPPER-MENU/AboutNNM/PIB_release_NationalNutritionMission.pdf

It is typical of me to ask children what they want to become when they grow up. So, when I threw open this question to a bunch of children, this is what they had to say:

You see, you just have to give children the opportunity to express, and they will overwhelm you with their responses. Probe a little more by asking ‘Why?’ and they will surprise you by telling the precise reason behind their aspiration. And, I bet it is the same with every child.

What next?

It is not enough to just know about their aspirations. As adults, we need to give an environment, an opportunity where children can live their childhood, explore their interests, learn and experiment, and hone their skills to achieve their goals. In one word, we have to ‘empower’ them. By definition, empower means to make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights.

Empowering children

Here, I would like to use the term ‘youth empowerment’. It is a process by which children and young people are supported and encouraged to take charge of their lives by making informed decisions for the benefit of the self and the society. Youth empowerment involves:

The benefits of youth empowerment are:

1. It allows children and young people to explore, discover and develop their skills and strengths
2. It makes youth responsible and self-reliant
3. It makes youth more aware of themselves and the world
4. It gives a sense of direction helping youth from getting lost or falling into the dark trap of crime.
5. It instils a sense of confidence and makes youth resourceful and reliable

Role of NGOs

Several NGOs have taken up youth empowerment as their core cause. These NGOs provide training, guidance, and job opportunities to youth depending upon their respective interests. But, there are other NGOs that indirectly influence youth empowerment, and The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one among them. Before I tell you more about it, it is important to understand that empowerment is a nutshell of developing health, positivity, self-control, communication skills, intellectual skills, decision-making skills, a moral outlook, life coping skills, and pro-social connectedness.

Being a mid-day meal NGO and serving school lunch to children, Akshaya Patra is empowering children by:

• Providing them with nutritious meals to support healthy growth
• Encouraging them to attend school and receive education
• Offering them a platform to hone their hidden talents as part of the Foundation’s ‘Giving Every Dream     A Chance’ initiative.
• And, most importantly by giving them the hope that their dreams are achievable

Here is quick clip showing Akshaya Patra’s role in empowering children:

He is just one among the 1.7 million beneficiaries whom Akshaya Patra is empowering each day.

What’s the conclusion?

It is important that children get the advantages of youth empowerment. It will not only develop them but also benefit the society as a whole. It becomes our responsibility to empower children so that they can achieve what they have dreamt of.

We would love to hear from you. So, feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions on youth empowerment in the below comment section. And, of course, do tell us how you would like to empower children.

And yes, the bunch of children at the beginning of this blog, they are all Akshaya Patra beneficiaries!

Strategy, planning, and Public-Private Partnerships have resulted in the steady growth and expansion of The Akshaya Patra Foundation.

Inaugurated on: 30th March 2018 witnessed the inauguration of the Foundation’s largest one-of-a-kind high-tech mega kitchen in Kandi, Telangana

Feeding capacity:  Over 1 lakh children in the region on each school day

Guests at the event: The kitchen’s inauguration was graced by Honourable Shri Kadiyam Srihari, Deputy Chief Minister & Education Minister, Telangana; Ms. Sudha Murty, Chairperson, Infosys Foundation; Chanchalapathi Dasa , Vice Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation; Satya Gaura Chandra Dasa, President, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh; and other eminent state dignitaries.

To get the glimpse of the inauguration, visit: Kandi photo gallery

The kitchen has been established in partnership with Infosys Foundation. With a grant of INR 18.50 crores, Infosys Foundation has covered the entire construction cost of this kitchen.

All the dignitaries appreciated the efforts of Akshaya Patra and Infosys Foundation for establishing state-of-the-art mega kitchen. They expressed their support and encouragement for this new beginning.

To read the complete coverage of the inauguration, visit: Kandi Kitchen inauguration

The Kandi kitchen is spread across 64,438 square feet area with many salient features making it a state-of-the-art kitchen facility:

Silikal Industrial Flooring

The Silikal flooring is a completely non-porous, seamless, sealed surface which means no fissures or holes will be formed thereby reducing the colonization by microbes and bacteria and contributing to better hygiene. This flooring is resistant to alkalis, acids, greases, oils, salts and other aggressive media, and can withstand both hot and cold conditions. Its anti-skid quality prevents accidental slips and falls, plus it has a long durability with limited maintenance and lower lifecycle cost.

ReFlex Reverse Osmosys System

This is a water purifying system to make it more potable. It features Desalitech’s patented Closed Circuit Reverse Osmosis (CCRO) process that can recover up to 98% of the water treated. Flexible operation and resistance to scaling and fouling greatly improve the reliability of ReFlex RO systems. Operators can easily and automatically cope with variations in feed water and operational requirements.

COMBLOCK Boiler for Steam Generation

Generally there are two major options for a solid fuel fired steam boilers: Integrated Furnace Boiler and Hybrid Boiler. COMBLOCK Boiler is the latest in Boiler Technology which combines the best of the two designs and represents the best technological solution. It is highly compact, efficient, skid mounted and modular. It can reduce carbon footprint by up to 40%, and the pre-insulated and factory assembled feature reduces site work by up to 80%. It is quick to start and copes better with load fluctuations thereby increasing efficiency by up to 85%.

ANDICOS Waste to Energy Generation System

The Andicos design integrates state-of-the-art technologies like INDION IPC MBR and INDION Advanced Bio-methanation process to treat a combination of solid waste generated in sewage treatment process and organic kitchen waste generated in the kitchen. The combined waste is first homogenized in a pre-treatment process followed by the bio-methanation in INDION Advance Bio-methanation Reactor. The resultant biogas is further polished in a post-treatment process to produce energy using biogas engine. The heat generated from the biogas is used to dry the excess sludge to produce organic fertilizer for use in agriculture and landscaping.

The ReFlex Reverse Osmosys System and ANDICOS Waste to Energy Generation System¹ are the first of its kind technologies in India. The mentioned features of the kitchen will contribute to enhanced hygiene, increased production efficiency, and reduced cost along with being more environment- friendly.

Watch out this space to know more about the other salient features of this mega mid-day meal kitchen. We would love to hear from you. Share your ideas in the comments section and also spread the word in your network about the Foundation’s cause.

Reference:

equitybulls.com/admin/news2006/news_det.asp?id=225197