Visit to Akshaypatra

The students of M.Sc Human Development, III semester and B.Sc Home Science, III semester visited the Akshaya Patra Foundation, Jaipur, located in Jagatpura, Jaipur, as a part of their syllabi on 18th August 2017. A total of 07 students escorted with Archana Kumari, Assistant Professor in the Department of Home Science to explore the information regarding mission, vision, organization structure and services provided and other aspects of the organization.

The students were given all the information regarding the functioning, management and funding of the organization by Mr. Amrendra Saxena who is working in the funding department of the organization.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a non-profit organisation feeding millions of underserved children in India. They are committed to eradicating two crucial issues - hunger and malnutrition from India - by implementing the Mid-Day Meal Programme in government and government-aided schools. Carrying out the world’s largest NGO-run feeding programme, Akshaya Patra aims to not only fight hunger with nutritious meals but also bring children to school.

Akshaya Patra launched their operations in Jaipur in February 2004. The centralized kitchen here currently feeds 1,02,352 children in 1,624 schools. To address two severe issues among children - lack of education and hunger, a programme called ‘Food for Education’ was launched which provides freshly-cooked, nutritious mid-day meals to children.

Akshaya Patra operates on a public-private partnership model under the aegis of government. As an implementing partner of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, it receives support from the Government of India, its various state governments and associated organisations. This has enabled the programme to grow from feeding 1,500 children in the year 2000 to over 1.6 million children in 2017. In Rajasthan, the Foundation currently feeds children 1,70,723 children in 2,672 Government and Government-aided schools.

Akshaya Patra, with partial support from the Government, also depends on corporate funds, philanthropic donors, volunteers and well-wishers for managing this large operation. The details of the operations include technological innovations, quality standards, delivery vehicles and interactions with its different stakeholders.

Students were shown all the units- Dough Making, Bread Making, Cooking unit, cutting and washing unit, storage, quality assurance unit, packaging unit and departure platforms. Mr. Amrendra also explained about the norms and conditions about which the organization is very strict like timing of delivery, quality assurance etc. At the end of the visit students also visited the Isckon temple located in the Akshaya Patra Foundation Campus.