AKSHAYA PATRA LAUNCHED BY PM NARENDRA MODI IN GUJARAT

The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, launched the Akshaya Patra school meal program in Gujarat. Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman of the Akshaya Patra Foundation, Minister for Education, Smt Anandiben Patel, Minister for Primary Education, Bhupendrabhai Lakhawala and board members of the Akshaya Patra Foundation, Mohan Das Pai (also Board Member & Director-Human Resources, Infosys Technologies) Abhay Jain and Vice Chairman, Shri Chanchalapathi Das attended the inauguration ceremony held at the Town Hall in the capital of the city, Gandhinagar.

Speaking at the occasion Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi said, “The government has many programs but we have to constantly upgrade the approach, implementation, envelop new ideas to ensure effectiveness. The Gujarat government has been running the Mid Day Meal program for the last several years. But we encourage public private partnership. We welcome Akshaya Patra and commend its technology–intensive mechanised kitchen model. When NGOs come they bring soul to the program.”

Explaining the noble cause of Akshaya Patra Foundation, Shriman Madhu Pandit Dasa in his speech said, “Akshaya Patra is more than a school meal program. Its a hunger-eradication program. It is an education program. It’s a social project. It’s a nation building effort. It marries the public and private entities to the common goal of seeing India as a developed nation in the world, with no hungry children on its map”. He further added, “We want to ensure that every Indian has an opportunity to have a decent meal, a decent education, a decent dwelling and a decent life to live his dream. To achieve this, Akshaya Patra wants to feed children and ensure them an education. India is growing and rapidly reaching a GDP of two digits. The real success of the growth of India would be in all sections of its society benefitting.”