“Despite the government’s efforts to improve maternal and child health, the latest report released by UNICEF shows India had the highest number of deaths of children under five years of age in 2011.

…..The UNICEF report, released on Thursday in New York, says almost 19,000 children less than five years of age die every day across the world. India tops the list of countries for 2011, with the highest number of such deaths at 16.55 lakh…..

… In 2011, about half of global under-five deaths occurred in just five countries: India, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan and China. Though on the top of list in terms of absolute numbers, in terms of child mortality rate, India ranks 49th with 61 deaths per thousand children in 2011, Sierra Leone has the highest child mortality rate of 185 per thousand……According to the UNICEF report, China reported 2.49 lakh deaths of under-5 children last year, followed by 1.94 lakh in Ethiopia and 1.34 lakh each in Indonesia and Bangladesh….”Read more on TOI.

Akshaya Patra mid day meal even though reaches out at large to children between 6-14 years of age, a program such as feeding in anganwadis are also undertaken to cover children of age 5 years and below in few of the regions Akshaya Patra is located in. Centres include Anganwadis in Baran and Jaipur in Rajasthan. Read more .

More such initiatives need to be adopted by Akshaya Patra, other NGOs and government departments, to minimize the death rate and to reach MDG as soon as possible if not by 2015. Other health issues also need to be addressed for pregnant and nursing mothers as well as infants and children below 5 years of age.

Children always look for variation in taste. Alike a mother, who is always in the attempt to provide taste and variety in each meal by keeping the nutrition level intact, Akshaya Patra too shares the same intent. Akshaya Patra keeps adding variation in its mid day meals to fill the appetite, and treat the taste buds of the tiny tots. Whether adults or children, everyone gets bored of eating the same food. Thus, along with nutrition and hygiene, variation in the menu is also an important prerequisite. Apart from being nutritional and hygienic, food should be relished by the children.

Akshaya Patra’s Mid Day Meal menu differs depending on the food habits and taste of a particular region. Akshaya Patra leaves no stone unturned in making its mid-day meal a welcome treat for the children. It’s a meal which not only feeds the hunger of the children and allows them to concentrate on studies, but also provides something that they relish.

Keeping the same objective in mind, Akshaya Patra’s Jaipur kitchen launched its first ever bakery machine. On this occasion, the chief guest, Mr. Pratap Singh Khachriyavas- the MLA of Rajasthan donated Rs. 10 lakhs for Akshaya Patra. He said that the money was donated from his MLA Fund which can be utilized for any of the kitchen’s activities. He also congratulated Akshaya Patra for its endeavour for school children. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Ratnangadha Govind Dasa, Unit President – Jaipur, said that local students can now savour nutritious biscuits as part of their mid day meal.

This machine has the capacity of producing 30,000 biscuits a day. These biscuits are produced in a hygienic way taking care of the nutritional value. These biscuits will surely tickle the taste buds of the children and add value to the mid day meal programme of Akshaya Patra.

Initiatives like Roti Machine and Bakery units also reflect Akshaya Patra’s readiness to adopt technology, innovation and new development to continue serving food for the children in the best possible way.

If you like these initiatives of Akshaya Patra; do connect to us through our social media platforms, give us your feedback and opinion, spread the news about our endeavours, and most importantly donate and encourage others to donate towards a meaningful cause.