Akshaya Patra receives funds from BHEL GE Gas Turbine Services for purchase of vehicles and utensils; boost to mid-day meals for govt school children

BHEL GE Gas Turbine Services Pvt Ltd (BGGTS) continues its robust partnership with Akshaya Patra to help mid-day meals reach children across Telangana The donations made by BHEL GE Gas Turbine Services Pvt Ltd will help nutritious meals reach over 6,000 students in government schools around Kandi and Narshinghi.

Continuing their long-standing relationship, BHEL GE Gas Turbine Services Pvt Ltd (BGGTS) has once again stepped forward to support The Akshaya Patra Foundation’s endeavour to erase malnutrition in the country. Akshaya Patra’s mega-kitchen at Kandi in Telangana received nearly Rs 40 lakh as CSR donation from BGGTS for the purchase of two brand new vehicles. The amount earmarked for the purchase of the specially-designed vehicles will enable Akshaya Patra to carry out its mission of providing nutritious and tasty midday meals to students at government schools across Telangana. The new vehicles that will come equipped with insulated vessels to transport food will service over 6,000 students and will be an incredibly valuable addition to Akshaya Patra’s resources.

In addition to their generous contribution towards securing two vehicles, BGGTS has also donated a new sambhar cauldron to Akshaya Patra’s Narshinghi kitchen. The new cauldron will serve to enhance the production capacity of Akshaya Patra and, in addition to the new vehicles, will bolster the midday meal program’s reach and production.

The latest donations from BGGTS were flagged off at an event at Akshaya Patra’s Kandi Kitchen on January 19, 2022 in the presence of KB Raja, Joint Managing Director, BGGTS, and his team. BGGTS has made numerous donations to Akshaya Patra since the two organizations first came together in 2016, the latest donations are a testament to a fruitful and long standing relationship between the two organizations.

KB Raja, Joint Managing Director of BGGTS, said, “The suffering that comes with having to contend with hunger and malnutrition must no longer plague the lives of children across the country. BGGTS’ active relationship with Akshaya Patra is a testament to our dedication to helping put an end to this very problem. We are pleased to partner with Akshaya Patra in its mission to enhance education and nutrition for communities in Telangana.”

Acknowledging the donations made by BGGTS and the organization’s long-standing support for Akshaya Patra and the mid-day meal program, Sundeep Talwar, CMO of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, said, “Our mission to bring children to school and provide them with the nutrition they require to live well and develop can only be achieved through partnerships like the one we have with BGGTS. BGGTS’ generous donation of two vehicles and a sambhar cauldron will go a long way in expanding the reach of Akshaya Patra to thousands more students in the region. Hidden hunger and malnutrition must be curtailed for the sake of India’s future generations and Akshaya Patra will leave no stone unturned in filling the stomachs of children
across the country.”

As the partnership between Akshaya Patra and BHEL GE Gas Turbine Services Pvt Ltd enters its seventh year, the dedication from both partners in alleviating hunger has been unwavering. Akshaya Patra and BGGTS look forward to new horizons and a continued drive to improve the lives of children across the country through education and nutrition, a joint press release said.

About The Akshaya Patra Foundation

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that strives to address classroom hunger and malnutrition in India. By implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Government and Government-aided schools, Akshaya Patra aims to fight hunger and, at the same time, bring children to school.

Since 2000, Akshaya Patra has worked towards reaching out to children with wholesome food every single school day. The Foundation is continuously leveraging technology to cater to millions of children. Its state-of-the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and attract curious visitors from around the world.

In partnership with the Government of India and various State Governments and the inestimable support of many philanthropic donors and well-wishers, Akshaya Patra has grown from humble beginnings serving just 1,500 school children across five schools to becoming the world’s largest (not-for-profit run) mid-day meal programme, serving wholesome food to over 1.8 million children from 19,039 schools [as of March 2020] across 13 states and one union territory in India.