A group of delegates comprising of 16 entrepreneur led web mission to India visited Akshaya Patra’s Vasanthapura, Bangalore kitchen early morning on 12^th Feb 2013. They were all enthusiastic and excited to know about the kitchen process through their short visit. They considered their early hours of the day spent in a very fruitful way.

Web mission is entrepreneur led mission comprising of sixteen of the UK’s most promising digital wireless and mobile software technologies. The mission is supported by UK’s Technology strategy Board and British Government’s Trade and Investment department. The group took the tour of all the three floors  paying full interest in knowing the each aspect of the operation.

They were impressed to see how Akshaya Patra has used innovation in scaling up the production from feeding 1500 to 1.3 million children and played its role in boosting social development.

Akshaya Patra has 19 centralized kitchens using technology relevantly .  The kitchen has been built across three levels where the preparation process begins at the top most level and is finished as it passes on to the next level (next floor). On The roof top big silos are kept that hold rice and lentils from where the ingredients go down to different floors and go through the process of preparation.  Finally hot cooked meal goes down a further floor where it is packed in the  containers  to be hauled in insulated vehicles delivering to different schools.

With help of gravity flow mechanism this food is transported down to a lower level through channels built through the ceiling. Custom-made machinery is used for cooking which reduces human intervention and keeps the food hygienic. Akshaya Patra Foundation makes use of systems like ERP, 5S and kaizen to make use of the optimum resources for storage, production and distribution.

These kitchens are pivotal to the foundation providing hot nutritious and wholesome meal to the children.  The Akshaya Patra has been harnessing technology for innovation in its kitchen process that has been the main cause of being able to scale up production. All this has immensely impressed Web Mission 13 who wrote “Web Mission /Web Mission wrote- It is a very effective model of innovation in process and precise time management; built and refined on a charitable basis.”

Many of the delegates tweeted very positively about Akshaya Patra‘s service, its operation and mission.

Source: 1 http://webmission.com/akshaya-patra-kitchen-visit/

2 http://www.akshayapatra.org/web-mission-2013-kitchen-visit

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Hanume waiting in line for his lunch
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<p>
Hanume appears to be a born leader as he directs and aids his classmates around the metal shop. Like any twenty-something pursuing his studies, he has many aspirations in life. Currently in his second and final year at the Technical Training Center for Deaf in Bangalore, Hanume plans to get a job after his course completion and become an earning member of his family. As the eldest and only son, his responsibilities are many. Though his father is a farmer in the mainly agricultural district of Mandya, in Karnataka, Hanume hopes to work with computers to support his family. After finishing the second year, he wants to train further in the subject and work in the IT industry.  </p>
<p style=”text-align: justify;”><img style=”float: right; margin: 10px; border: 0px;” src=”http://www.akshayapatra.org/sites/default/files/images/industrial_traning_img2.jpg” title=”A Boon for Hearing Impaired” border=”0″ alt=””  />
Stories like his have echoed through the silent classrooms of the training institute for nearly 25 years. Hearing impaired children from across India come to this Center for the Deaf to receive the National Trade Certificate that will give them employment opportunities. Many previous students, like Y.L. Harsha are already placed in some of the leading companies of the country. His younger brother, Jagadish, is also training at the institute now and hopes to follow in his brother’s footsteps. </p>
<p>Currently there are over 80 students at the Center, which faces many challenges in its day to day operations. As Mrs. Gloria William, Managing Trustee explains, funds are not always adequate to meet the institute’s requirements. Some students find it especially difficult staying in a temporary hostel on the premises. Food is often an area of concern. </p>
<p style=”text-align: justify;”><img style=”float: left; margin: 10px; border: 0px;” src=”http://www.akshayapatra.org/sites/default/files/images/industrial_traning_img1.jpg” title=”A Boon for Hearing Impaired” border=”0″ alt=””  />
“We came up with a makeshift hostel arrangement out of need. Some students didn’t have the finances for accommodation outside, so we decided to provide them with a place to stay.  But the children still have to manage their own food,” she says.
One aspect of her worries for the Institute is now resolved. Starting this 27th of December, Akshaya Patra, with the support of ABB, a leader in power and automation technologies, will be providing mid-day meals at the Institute on a regular basis. The meals will be particularly helpful for those students who are currently staying at the hostel. </p>
<p>“We have two shifts in the school: one which starts at 8:30 a.m. for the second years, and another which starts at 10:00 in the morning for the first years. Many of these children come to school early, often without breakfast, so this one meal will be extremely helpful,” says Mrs. William. </p>