iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, inaugurated the Akshaya Patra Foundation’s newest kitchen at the LT College in Varanasi on Thursday, July 7, in the presence of Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The event was presided over by Madhu Pandit Dasa, chairman and Chanchalapathi Dasa, vice-chairman of the Akshaya Patra Foundation.
Established in 2000, the Akshaya Patra Foundation is the world’s largest school meal program, providing nutritious lunches to over 1.8 million children in over 20,000 schools through 61 kitchens in 14 states and two Union Territories in India.
The kitchen in Varanasi covers an area of 3 acres and marks Akshaya Patra’s 62nd kitchen which will serve 100,000 students in the district. Akshaya Patra has been an implementing partner of the government of Uttar Pradesh for the school lunch program.
Expressing gratitude, Dasa, said, “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Modiji for taking time off his busy schedule to inaugurate our new kitchen in Varanasi. Today, we write yet another chapter in our association with the government of Uttar Pradesh.”
He added, “I also want to thank Sumir Chadha and Sandeep Singhal, co-Founders, West Bridge Capital & their team for sponsoring this kitchen and supporting our efforts to address classroom hunger. Such collaborative efforts by all the stakeholders will surely take us closer to our mission to ensure a world where children do not have to choose between education and food.”
The construction of the state-of-the-art centralized kitchen was supported by WestBridge Capital, an India-focused investment firm that manages over US$7 billion of capital. Apart from Akshaya Patra, WestBridge Capital has made investments in varied philanthropic projects across sectors education, health and environment.
