Submitted By : Memon Md Imran Memon

Admission No : HPGD/JL15/1538

Year of Submission : Nov-16

Social Cause : Fighting Hunger and Malnutrition

NGO : Akshaya Patra

PRIN. L. N. Welingkar Institute of

College :
Management Development & research
 DECLARATION

I, Memon Md Imran Memon, student of Prin. L. N. Welingkar

institute of management development & research, with admission

no. HPGD/JL15/1538, hereby declare that I have completed this

project on ISR Fighting Hunger and Malnutrition, NGO Akshaya

Patra, in the academic year 2016.

The information submitted is true and original to the best of my

knowledge.

Memon Md Imran Memon

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 Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................. 4
W HAT IS SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?..........................................................................................................................5
HOW DOES AN INDIVIDUAL BECOME SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE? .............................................................................6
UNDERSTANDING ISR-INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ...................................................................................7
IS ISR PRACTICAL? ...................................................................................................................................................8
AKSHAYA PATRA FOUNDATION ................................................................................................................... 9
MISSION & VISION STATEMENT ..............................................................................................................................11
HISTORY OF AKSHAYA PATRA................................................................................................................................12
GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT..........................................................................................................................13
EXISTING BOARD OF TRUSTEES .............................................................................................................................13
PRESIDENTS ............................................................................................................................................................14
MANAGEMENT TEAM ...............................................................................................................................................14
TRANSPARENCY ......................................................................................................................................................15
DONATION MONEY UTILIZATION ..............................................................................................................................16
COST PER MEAL CALCULATION .............................................................................................................................17
AUDIT & SYSTEM.....................................................................................................................................................18
MID-DAY MEAL AND OTHER INITIATIVES .................................................................................................. 19
OBJECTIVES OF MDM.............................................................................................................................................20
QUALITY OF MDM ...................................................................................................................................................20
MID DAY MEAL PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION ....................................................................................................21
Other Initiatives .................................................................................................................................................22
MID DAY MEAL LITTLE BUS ....................................................................................................................................23
AKSHAYA PATRA KITCHENS ....................................................................................................................... 24
FOOD PACKING AND TRANSPORTATION .................................................................................................................25
CENTRALIZED KITCHENS ........................................................................................................................................27
DECENTRALIZED KITCHENS ....................................................................................................................................27
STANDARD AND HYGIENIC KITCHENS (ISO CERTIFIED) ........................................................................................28
ACHIEVEMENTS AND MILESTONES .........................................................................................................................30
HOW EVERYONE CAN CONTRIBUTE? ....................................................................................................... 32
GET INVOLVED ........................................................................................................................................................32
APPROACH ..............................................................................................................................................................32
INITIATE ...................................................................................................................................................................32
CSR Opportunities ...........................................................................................................................................33
Why should you associate with The Akshaya Patra Foundation? ............................................................33
FUNDRAISE IN YOUR COMMUNITY ............................................................................................................. 34
RAISING THE FUNDS LOCALLY:................................................................................................................................34
STORIES OF HOPE : ZINKAL W ARIYA ......................................................................................................................35
A STRONG VISION OF A TRUE EDUCATOR ...............................................................................................................36
OTHER NGOS FIGHTING THE SAME CAUSE ............................................................................................. 37
CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................... 38
REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................................. 39

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Introduction

The project attempts to give an idea about the various Individual Social responsibilities (ISR) and
awareness about the requirement of how we as individuals can perform our social responsibility.
The social cause on which I have worked on in this project is Fighting Hunger and Malnutrition.
A brief insight is given on NGO Akshaya Patra, which is involved in feeding millions of
government school children in many districts and states of India. The same is the subject of the
project. Finally, an attempt is made to capture the doing of Akshaya Patra in a video, highlighting
their work.

Our country had witnessed many social reformers and their contributions into the well-being of
society has caused effective and positive changes in the cultural being of our country. The causes
may differ from upliftment of back ward cast or poor, liberating women from the shackles of
antediluvian and ritualistic rules, fighting for children educational rights, fighting against female
feticide, fighting against hunger and providing nutritious and hygienic food to fight malnutrition
and many more.

In this era, also social reformers and followers of humanity exist. They make the society a better
place either individually or in a group in the form of NGO (Non-Governmental Organization).
These organizations are not-for-profit business. Usually set up by ordinary citizens, NGOs may
be funded by governments, foundations, businesses, or private persons. NGOs are highly
diverse groups of organizations engaged in a wide range of activities, and take different forms in
different parts of the world. Some may have charitable status, while others may be registered for
tax exemption based on recognition of social purposes.

In India, itself there are around 2million NGOs active. One such Organization is Akshaya Patra,
which is involved in feeding millions of government school children in many districts and states of
India. The path is a noble one, that no child should be deprived of education because of
hunger. It also addresses one more issue existing in India from centuries, malnutrition. The mid-
day meal initiative provides perfect and ample number of calories to maintain healthy and fit
physique and mind to study and play.

Poverty is always remained a misery in India. Large scale of the society hails from poor
background in India. And, education remains an only option for their upliftment which cannot be
met if the children of the poor families are withdrawing from schools to earn and to feed
themselves and their families.

Akshaya Patras initiative is beyond religion or caste politics. Their spiritual approach is nurturing
children in many states irrespective of their religion, cast creed or color. Their journey from few
neighboring schools to reach mass is in itself an achievement. Proper use of donation, organized
processes, involvement of visionaries and experts has made Akshaya Patra one of the largest
and respected organization, not just in India but in other continents too.

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What Is Social Responsibility?
Social responsibility is an ethical framework
and suggests that an entity, be it
in organization or individual, has an obligation
to act for the benefit of society at large. Social
responsibility is a duty every individual has to
perform so as to maintain a balance between
the economy and the ecosystems. A trade-
off may exist between economic development,
in the material sense, and the welfare of the
society and environment,[1] though this has
been challenged by many reports over the
past decade.[2][3] Social responsibility means
sustaining the equilibrium between the two. It
pertains not only to business organizations but
also to everyone whose any action impacts
the environment.[4]This responsibility can be passive, by avoiding engaging in socially harmful
acts, or active, by performing activities that directly advance social goals.

Individual Social Responsibility (ISR) to achieve Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

ISR may appear to be a new concept in relation to CSR, but it is a concept as old as The Golden
Rule Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. ISR expands on this by promoting
a proactive stance towards positively influencing and affecting the people and environments
outside your immediate circle. ISR is at the roots of CSR, because a corporate comprises of
individuals and hence determines the social responsibility culture it creates. This is the
intermingled relationship between CSR and ISR. Individuals are becoming more socially
responsible and, in response to this Corporations and Companies need to become more socially
responsible to meet consumer demand.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) states: In the wake of increasing
globalization, we have become increasingly conscious not only of what we buy, but also how the
goods and services we buy have been produced. Environmentally harmful production, child labor,
dangerous working environments and other inhumane conditions are examples of issues being
brought into the open. All companies and organizations aiming at long-term profitability and
credibility are starting to realize that they must act in accordance with norms of right and wrong.

Socially responsible individuals are demanding companies and organizations to become more
socially responsible.

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 How Does an Individual Become Socially
Responsible?
The Workshop for Civic Initiatives
Foundation (WCIF), Bulgaria, describes
ISR in its position statement on Social
Responsibility as, The individual social
responsibility includes the engagement
of each person towards the community
where he lives, which can be expressed
as an interest towards whats happening
in the community, as well as in the active
participation in the solving of some of the
local problems. Under community we
understand the village, the small town or
the residential complex in the big city,
where lives every one of us. Each community lives its own life that undergoes a process of
development all the time. And everyone of us could take part in that development in different
ways, for example by taking part in cleaning of the street on which he lives, by taking part in
organization of an event, connected with the history of the town or the village or by rendering
social services to children without parents or elderly people. The individual social responsibility
also could be expressed in making donations for significant for the society causes social, cultural
or ecological. There are many ways of donating, as for example donating of goods or donating
money through a bank account or online

Social Responsibility can be negative, in that it is a responsibility to refrain from acting

(resistance stance) or it can be positive, meaning there is a responsibility to act (proactive
stance). Being socially responsible not only requires participating in socially responsible activities
like recycling, volunteering and mentoring, but to actually make it a lifestyle. Only through a
commitment to embrace and embed social responsibility into your personal value and belief
system can you truly become socially responsible in all you do.
According to The Harris Poll #57, June 18, 2007, when it comes to individual social
responsibility, there are three types of people:
1. Two-thirds of U.S. adults have Good Intentions they believe that social responsibility is a good
idea, and they do what they can in terms of volunteering, but they do not sacrifice huge amounts
of time or money.

2. At the top end of the spectrum, 8 percent of U.S. adults Practice What They Preach and for this
group, individual, as well as corporate, social responsibility is extremely important.

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3. One-quarter of U.S. adults, however, follow a philosophy of To Thine Own Self Be True and, for
this group, social responsibility has little consequence in their lives.

On the other hand the trends show that the biggest growth for big charitable organizations in the
world is coming through individuals and not through Corporations and Governments.

To take a proactive stance, ISR can start off as a simple act of philanthropic behavior. My husband
and I actually budget for giving, just like we do for living or car expenses. Add to this the
campaigner, volunteer and activist in you that picks-up and supports issues affecting society. You
may just start off volunteering once a month somewhere that suits your skills, abilities or interests.
The other day, I asked a friend if he could teach my son guitar. We determined a tuition cost but
instead of me paying him, he asked me if I could pay the charity of his choice. If you have the
choice of two products and one product supports a good cause or was produced in a more ethical
way, then purchase that product. You may only be one person but if everyone did their part, we
could change the world!

All Social responsibility, both individual and corporate, is voluntary; it is about going above and
beyond what is called for by the law (legal responsibility). It involves an idea that it is better to be
proactive toward a problem rather than reactive to a problem. Social responsibility means
eliminating corrupt, irresponsible or unethical behavior that might bring harm to the community,
its people, or the environment before the behavior happens.

Understanding ISR-Individual Social Responsibility

CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) has been the buzz for a while. Several attempts have been
made to define, practice and document CSR. But increasingly and from diverse and independent
pockets in the world people are talking about a different and more basic social responsibility. ISR-
Individual Social Responsibility has all the takings of being a high impact change maker. This
article tries to build understanding on the subject by studying these various points of view.

What is ISR?

Individual Social Responsibility (ISR) is about an individual becoming responsible in his/her

actions that have affected on communities outside his/her immediate circle. The immediate circle
being family and friends. There can be an argument about also including family and friends, but
it would be rather pertinent to include them as part of Individual Personal Responsibility.

Is ISR only about philanthropy? ISR is not only about:

1. committing acts of charity
2. Working for the communities where you have material interest.

These only form part of ISR, which is a broader concept that can be manifested through action
as below:
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1. Philanthropic behavior of an individual
2. The campaigner, volunteer and activist instinct in the individual that picks-up and supports
issues affecting the society.
3. The above two coupled with an individual being ethical (integrity, honesty) in his/her outward
dealings.
ISR vis--vis CSR

1. ISR is at the roots of CSR, because a corporate comprises of individuals and hence determines
the social responsibility culture it follows.

2. As CSR is being increasingly viewed as a tool to push wares a greater need for ISR is expected.
The example of www.kiva.org in giving people the power to empower is a big indicator of the shift.

3. If ISR becomes way of life CSR may be an automatic end result.

4. The social responsibility of business is to make a profit, famously said Milton Friedman, the
Nobel Prize winner. He explained that in making a profit a company creates thousands of jobs,
both directly and indirectly through suppliers, distributors and retailers. It imparts valuable skills
to its employees. It pays crores in taxes. It improves the lives of millions of satisfied customers
with its products and services. This is an enormous service to society. If some shareholders get
rich on the way, so what? Companies should focus single-mindedly on their competence,
providing goods and services better than their competitors, and not get distracted by extraneous
activity. A companys social responsibility is to make profits legally, not to harm nature, and uphold
the highest standards of governance.
It is then left for the promoters of the corporations to practice ISR from the profits received above
to really answer Social Responsibility.

Is ISR practical?

Yes, it is. The successes of ventures like www.kiva.org that empower individuals to bring
sustainable change are case in point. Furthermore, the advent of Web 2.0 and social networking
has fuelled Individual activism, campaigning and giving.
But there is still a long way to go. On the other hand the trends show that the biggest growth for
big charitable organizations in the world is coming through individuals and not through
corporations and governments. The aspects of ethics, honesty and integrity surely need further
consultation.

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Akshaya Patra Foundation
The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation headquartered in Bengaluru, India.
Our organisation strives to fight issues like hunger and malnutrition in India, by implementing the
Mid-Day Meal Scheme in the government schools and government-aided schools. Akshaya Patra
aims not only to fight hunger but also to bring children to school.
Since 2000, the organisation has worked towards reaching more children with wholesome food
on every single school day.
Akshaya Patra is continuously leveraging technology to cater to millions of children. Its state-of-
the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and they attract curious visitors from around the
world.
In partnership with the Government of India; various State Governments, the inestimable support
from many businesses, philanthropic donors and well-wishers; we have grown from our humble
beginnings in the year 2000, serving just 1,500 children across 5 schools. Today Akshaya Patra
is the worlds largest (not-for-profit run) mid-day meal programme serving wholesome food to
over 1.6 million children from 13,210 schools across 11 states in India.

A brief on the growth of The Akshaya Patra Foundation

On November 28, 2001 the Supreme Court of India passed a mandate that:"Cooked mid-day
meal is to be provided in all the Government and Government-aided primary schools in all the
states." Akshaya Patra was also called upon to provide testimonies to the Supreme Court.

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By the time the Ministry of Human Resource Development - Department of School Health and
Education extended its support to the initiative in 2003, Akshaya Patra was already reaching out
to 23,000 children.

Today, Akshaya Patra has kitchens in 26 locations spread across 11 states in India, a result of
the successful partnership with the Government of India, various State Governments
and generous supporters.

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Mission & Vision Statement
VISION: NO CHILD IN INDIA SHALL BE DEPRIVED OF EDUCATION BECAUSE OF HUNGER

MISSION: TO FEED 5 MILLION CHILDREN BY 2020

Through our mid-day meal programme, our attempt is to feed the millions of children in India who
have the zeal to learn and achieve, but not the means. By feeding them that one wholesome meal
a day, we give them the motivation and nourishment they need to pursue an education and a
better future. It is our endeavour to reach out to every child at the grass root level of the society.

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History Of Akshaya Patra
Looking out of a window one day in Mayapur, a village
near Calcutta, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada, saw a group of children fighting with stray
dogs over scraps of food. From this simple, yet heart-
breaking incident, was born a determination that no child
within a radius of ten miles from our centre should go
hungry.

His inspiring resolve has helped us in making The Akshaya

Patra Foundation, as what it is today.

In June 2000, The Akshaya Patra Foundation started the

mid-day meal programme in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The
initial days of implementation were not smooth sailing for
the organisation. But soon came the helping hands of Mohandas Pai, who took the initiative of
donating the first vehicle to transport food to the schools; and Abhay Jain, who promised to
bring in more donors to contribute for the further expansion of the programme.

The humble beginnings of the Foundation started with serving of the mid-day meals to 1500
children across five Government schools in Bengaluru.

The programme embraced the vision that

No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger.

Today, through the partnership with the Government of India and various State Governments,
as well as philanthropic donors; the organisation runs the worlds largest mid-day meal
programme. Built on a public-private partnership, Akshaya Patra combines good management,
innovative technology and smart engineering to deliver a nutritious and hygienic school lunch.

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 Governance and Management
Their Governance Philosophy is based on a set of laws, rules and regulations and good practices
that enables the organization to perform efficiently and ethically and create value for all its
stakeholders.
The organization is committed to the belief that the adoption of the best governance practices will
take us a long way ahead.
The roots of their value system and governance practices reflect the culture of the trusteeship.
The core philosophy rests on 4 basic tenets:
Board accountability to the organization and stakeholders
Equitable treatment to all stakeholders
Strategic guidance and effective monitoring by the Board
Transparency and timely disclosure
Following the philosophy and adoption of the best governance practices, Akshaya Patra
continuously strives for excellence.

Existing Board of Trustees

Akshaya Patra firmly believes that good governance and ethics are the necessary foundations of
any Non-Governmental Organization. In pursuit of the same, the Foundations Board of Trustees
plays a primary role in ensuring good governance and functioning of the Foundation.
The Foundations Board comprises of Board of Trustees and Board of Advisors. Presently, there
are eight Trustees and seven Advisors in the Foundations Board.

1. Madhu Pandit Dasa

Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation

2. Chanchalapathi Dasa
Vice Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation

3. Ratnangada Govinda Dasa

Trustee, The Akshaya Patra Foundation

4. Jaganmohan Krishna Dasa

Trustee, The Akshaya Patra Foundation

5. T.V. Mohandas Pai

Chairman, Manipal Global Education Services

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 6. Abhay Jain
Board Member & Head Group Corporate Affairs
of Manipal Education and Medical Group,
Member Board of Jain University

7. V. Balakrishnan
Founder & Chairman, Exfinity Technology Fund

8. Raj P Kondur
Founder and CEO, Kondur Corp.

Presidents
Each centre of The Akshaya Patra Foundation operates under the guidance of Presidents who,
on a voluntary basis, oversee the functioning of the organisation. The Presidents, with their
missionary zeal and expertise, manage the governance and administration of Akshaya Patra at
the location level.

Management Team
The organisations Executive Management Team consists of individuals with specific skills in
fields of Management, Operations, Finance and Accountancy, Communications and the like.
Their knowledge base, along with the guidance of the Unit Presidents, helps in the operation of
the organisation in an efficient manner and ensures best usage of resources.

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Transparency
Transparency, especially for an NGO, is the key to trust and reliability. Akshaya Patra hence
upholds absolute transparency in all its activities.
For this purpose, we comply with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The
IFRS reporting which was adopted in 2008-09 has contributed substantially in building confidence
amongst the stakeholders of the organisation.
We also comply with the Indian Accounting Standards issued by the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of India (ICAI) and are up to date on accounting standards. At the end of each
financial year an Annual Report with financial audits and statements is published and made
available to the stakeholders.

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Donation Money utilization
Your money ultimately is for the children. Every donation is diligently spent for the food that is
served directly or indirectly. On an average, 84% of the total cost is used towards meeting the
programme cost and 10% towards the programme management cost. 6% of the total cost is
steered towards meeting fundraising and communication costs.The organisation upholds
maximum transparency in funds utilisation.
Cost break-up of the organisation

The analysis of the total revenue expenditure for the year 2014-15

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Besides the mid-day meal programme the organization also works on other feeding and social
initiatives.
The programme-wise expenditure of the organization

The analysis of the revenue expenditure for the year 2013-14 & 2014-15.

Cost Per Meal Calculation

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Audit & System
We strive to ensure stringent measures are in place, to meet the highest standards of
transparency, as we believe internal control is the key to good governance.

In order to ensure the effectiveness of the internal controls, the organisation has appointed
Chartered Accountant firms of repute, as Branch Auditors. The Branch Auditors submit the
audited reports of their respective branches to the management periodically. These reports are
then reviewed by the Audit Committee.

The Audit Committee is a sub-committee of the Board of Trustees that was formed to ensure the
effectiveness of the internal control environment.

Audit Committee composition

V. Balakrishnan Chairman
Raj Kondur Member

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 Mid-Day Meal And Other Initiatives
On November 28th, 2001 the Supreme Court of India passed an order stating:
"We direct the State Governments/Union Territories to implement the Mid-Day Meal Scheme by
providing every child in every Government and Government assisted Primary School with a
prepared mid-day meal."
Mid-Day Meal Scheme aimed to:
avoid classroom hunger
increase school enrolment
increase school attendance
improve socialization among castes
address malnutrition and
empower women through employment
The Akshaya Patra Foundation, which was by then successfully implementing its own school
lunch programme in Karnataka, was called in to give testimonies for verifying the efficacy of the
scheme; post which the mandate to implement Mid-Day Meal Scheme was passed.
In order to successfully carry out this mandate, each State Government then started its own Mid-
Day Meal programme. Initiated by the Government of Karnataka, Akshara Dasoha is one such
scheme in place.
Once started, one challenge that the Government faced now was that of successful
implementation. As the guidelines for the NP-NSPE, 2006 state, wherever possible, the
Government would: mobilize community support and promote public-private partnership for the
programme.Not-for-profits, such as Akshaya Patra, are therefore encouraged to set up
operations and they act as the implementing arm of the Government.
The recognition of the role of voluntary agencies in partnering Government initiatives by the
Centre may have had some influence in the initiatives taken by the Government of Karnataka to
bring several NGOs into major Government sponsored programmes
---Karnataka Human Development Report, 2005
In fact, as the Karnataka Human Development Report 2005 explains, the Government of
Karnataka was the first to take this step of involving NGOs in development programmes. The
report states that this involvement of the NGOs in multilateral/bilateral programmes, raises the
level of co-operations to another level. The NGOs become not only implementers; they also find
a place in designing and managing programmes together with Government at all levels.
This pioneering move, by the Government of Karnataka, to make NGOs the implementing arm of
the Government has been one of the major reasons for its success in attaining the goals of the
programme. The achievements of these private-public partnerships have even influenced the
Central Government. By setting up and encouraging private-public partnerships, the Government
is successfully leveraging the skills and resources of the private sector for the greater good.
Today, India's Mid-Day Meal Scheme is one of the largest school lunch programme in the
world. 104 million children were covered in 1.15 million schools during 2013-14.

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 Objectives of MDM
The Government of India started Mid-Day Meal Scheme. With an aim to enhancing enrolment of
children in schools, retention and increased attendance while also improving nutritional levels
among children, the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE)
was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme on 15th August, 1995. After some amendments
there on, as per the expansion of the programme, the Government designed a set of rules and
guidelines to be followed for implementation. These include various aspects related to child health
and growth like the quantity of calories and proteins required for children from specific age groups,
the quantity of grains that can be allotted to each child and so on.
The objectives of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme are:
Improving the nutritional status of children in classes I-V in Government, Local Body and
Government aided schools, and EGS and AIE centers.
Encouraging poor children, belonging to disadvantaged sections, to attend school more
regularly and help them concentrate on classroom activities.
Providing nutritional support to children of primary stage in drought affected areas during
summer vacation.

Quality of MDM
Quality and Food Safety are the primary ingredients at each of the Akshaya Patra kitchens. As
compared to the past they have introduced various metrics in every area of operations and service
delivery. They have also tied up with different organizations to review the quality of the mid-day
meals we prepare and serve children. To maintain the quality of the meal, standardization of
recipes across all locations has been undertaken. To improve quality standards, advance projects
like Kaizen and 5S have been started in different locations. Employee Health and Safety activities
are conducted to further increase hygiene standards and improve safety and health.

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Mid Day Meal Programme Implementation
While implementing the mid-day meal programme, the Central and State Governments work hand
in hand. Central Government issues guidelines to be followed by State Governments while
executing the scheme. However, there are some states that have issued guidelines different from
Central Guidelines.

21
A National Steering-cum-Monitoring Committee is set up to monitor the programme, assess its
impact and provide policy advice to Central and State Governments. Central assistance in the
form of subsidies is released upon submission of the committees Annual Work Plan by the
Programme Approval Board.
Steering-cum-Monitoring Committees are also set up at a state level to monitor the programme.
A nodal department is authorised to take responsibility. Implementation cells are organised by the
nodal department and one officer is appointed at each district and block level to oversee effective
implementation of the programme.
The Panchayats/ Urban Local Bodies are in charge of the scheme in states where primary
education is entrusted to them.

Other Initiatives

The organization has taken many other feeding and social initiatives other than Mid Day Meals
Programme. Here are some of the Feeding initiatives and social initiatives that are under taken
by Akshaya Patra.
Anganwadi feeding
Disaster relief
Feeding expecting and lactating mothers
Feeding programmes in old-age homes
Feeding programmes in special schools
Feeding runaway children
Feeding the homeless
Subsidized lunch for the economically backward
"Apart from the above initiatives, the Foundation also works towards social initiatives like:"
After class tuitions
Community health camps
Health check-up camps
Life-skills programmes
Scholarship programmes

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Mid Day Meal Little Bus
On a normal school day, a distinctive blue bus with images of happy school children zooms past
the streets of 24 locations in 10 states across India. This blue bus carries thousands of smiles
just like the ones displayed on it. This blue bus is the most identifiable part of Akshaya Patras
mid-day meal programme since it delivers over a million hopes, dreams and of course, smiles
with the meals that it carries to the 10,845 schools in our country.
When the Akshaya Patra started executing the mid-day meal programme in the year 2000, access
to delivery vehicles was a major challenge. Hence, the organization would hire transport vehicles
from external dealers to deliver food to the schools. Since there were just five schools and were
situated not too far from the kitchen, it was manageable.
Gradually, one of
the trustees of
the organization
arranged for a
customized
transport vehicle.
Supporters grew
in leaps and
bounds over the
years that
followed, as did
the number of
children they
reach out to. With
more supporters,
more vehicles
started flowing in
to carry meals
and dreams
across towns,
villages and cities.
The blue bus is a customized transport vehicle specially designed to deliver food that is packed
in stainless steel 304 Grade vessels which can keep food hot and fresh for long intervals of time.
Every vehicle is steam-sterilized before the loading process. The vehicle uses a puffed body to
reduce loss of temperature and a honeycomb structure to hold the vessels upright and keep the
freshness of the cooked meal intact till it is served.

And that is how every meal that goes into those 1.4 million plates is warm, fresh, nutritious and
ready to eat!

23
From Kitchen to Schools (Mode of Operation)

Akshaya Patra Kitchens

The Akshaya Patra Foundation operates in 24 locations across 10 States in India
Centralized kitchens are large kitchen units that have the capacity to typically cook up to 100,000
meals. These kitchens serve a set of schools located around the unit. They are automated and
thus ensure hygiene during the cooking processes. On the other hand, in locations where factors
like difficult geographical terrain and improper road connectivity do not support construction of
large infrastructure, the decentralized kitchen format is the ideal solution. These kitchens are run
by the Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under the guidance and supervision of Akshaya Patras
kitchen process and operations module.
Akshaya Patra Kitchens have adopted Six Sigma Methodologies
Cooking in the centralized units begins in the early morning. All kitchens run by the organization
follow a scheduled menu. All the centralized kitchens are equipped with cauldrons, trolleys, rice
chutes, dal/sambar tanks, cutting boards, knives and other similar equipment that are sanitized
before usage. The North Indian kitchens are equipped with rice cauldrons and dal cauldrons.
Each rice cauldron has a capacity of at least 500 litres; and each dal cauldron has the capacity to
cook 1,200 litres to 3,000 litres of dal. As roti is an integral part of the North Indian menu, the
kitchens are equipped with roti making machines, which have the capacity to roll out up to 200,000
rotis from 6,000 kgs of wheat flour.
The South Indian kitchens are equipped with rice cauldrons and sambar cauldrons. Each rice
cauldron has a capacity of at least 500 litres; each sambar cauldron has the capacity to cook
1,200 litres to 3,000 litres of sambar. All the vessels are of stainless steel 304 food grade material.

Quality Assurance during procurement of raw materials

The SQMS process covers sub processes like Supplier Selection, Supplier Qualification, Supplier
Rating etc. to ensure that the right and best raw materials are procured. Quality Control process
ensures that raw materials are accepted only after thorough Quality Inspection in order to meet
all the requirements of our Raw Material Specifications, which is generally taken and adopted
from Food Safety Standards Act 2006 (FSSA).

Storage, Handling, Preservation of raw materials

Fresh vegetables are procured on a daily basis. After procurement, sorting of vegetables is done
to retain the best quality. All the vegetables are cleaned with potable water and sanitized before
the cutting process. Cold storage is used to store ready-to-cook cut vegetables to retain
freshness. Rice is supplied by the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Before the cooking process,
the rice is machine-cleaned and washed thoroughly. In order to ensure all the raw materials are
fresh, all the kitchens follow the FIFO (First In First Out) and FEFO (First Expiry First Out) methods
while issuing the raw material for production.
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By doing so, the kitchens are able to properly identify, store and retrieve the raw materials in an
appropriate manner.
Quality and Safety during cooking
All the kitchens of Akshaya Patra follow a standard process for preparing the mid-day meals. This
process is charted out to ensure hygiene and quality of the cooked meal and also to adhere to
the food safety standards. All the cooking equipment like cauldrons, trolleys, rice chutes and
sambar/dal tanks, cutting boards, knives etc. are sterilized using steam before the cooking
process begins. The vessels used in the kitchens are made of stainless steel of 304 grade and is
best for cooking and handling food.
The decentralized kitchen units are equipped with necessary cooking equipment like chapati
pans, cooking vessels for rice and dal and vessels for transporting the cooked mid-day meals to
the schools. Personal hygiene and Food Safety trainings are provided regularly to the kitchen
staff to ensure hygiene standards are met.
All the kitchens have well trained Cooks and Production Supervisors to manage and supervise
the production. Critical Control Points (CCPs) like cooking temperature are checked and recorded
at periodic intervals to ensure the right quality of the meal.
To ensure food quality is maintained, Quality Check is done by the Quality Officers in each
kitchen.

Food Packing and Transportation

The cooked food is packed in steam sterilized vessels. They use specially designed and
customized transport vehicles to deliver food which is packed in stainless steel 304 grade vessels.
These vehicles are steam sterilized before the loading process. These vehicles use a puffed body
to reduce the temperature loss and a honeycomb structure to hold the vessels upright and keep
the freshness of the cooked meal intact till it is served to the children.

Delivery
Methods like Logistic charting for route optimization, GPRS to track the delivery vehicles for safety
and on-time delivery are gradually being adopted and implemented in the kitchens.

Post Delivery Process

In order to consistently maintain quality of the meal, Akshaya Patra take feedbacks from schools
on a daily basis while delivering the meal. The Quality Officers in the kitchens review the feedback
and initiate or trigger appropriate corrective or improvement actions to improve the quality and
delivery of food. They circulate Dos and Donts pamphlets to all schools on a regular basis for
creating awareness on food safety and hygiene while serving the mid-day meals.

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Audit & Review mechanisms play a key role in monitoring the key processes & systems and their
performance. So, they have institutionalized Good Manufacturing Process (GMP) Monthly Audits,
Surprise Audits on Food Safety & Quality, to name a few. Quality Metrics Performance is reviewed
on a monthly basis. Detailed Customer Satisfaction Surveys are done by the Quality Staff at
periodic intervals apart from the day-to-day feedback we take during the delivery of food. In
certified kitchens, ISO 22000 Internal Audits are done twice a year by qualified Internal Auditors
led by Quality & FSMS Managers, and their Certification body does the surveillance audits twice
a year. The data from all the respective audits are reviewed and appropriate improvement or
corrective actions are taken. All actions are further monitored till effective implementation.
Continual Improvement methods
As the aim is to maintain and better the services by sustaining the quality of the mid-day meals
they provide, there is a need for continual improvement. They need to advance the performance
of various processes continuously so that every cycle of improvement leads to the next level of
achievement. They adopted a holistic approach and designed a programme called Akshaya
Pragathi. As a part of the programme they have adopted and implemented Kaizen, CI Projects
and Six Sigma methodologies to ensure and make every member a part of these initiatives.
Training is an integral part of the Continual Improvement Programme. The Financial Year 2012-
13 saw training on 5S, GMP, Lean and Kaizen, and ISO 22000 Awareness for kitchen employees
across all locations for more than 6,000 man hours. The Quality Department aims to conduct
15,000 man hours of training on similar topics in the Financial Year 2013-14.

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Centralized Kitchens
The Akshaya Patra centralized kitchens have the capacity to undertake large scale feeding,
typically up to 100,000 mid-day meals a day. These semi-automated kitchens adhere to Food
Safety Management Systems (FSMS) to ensure safe handling, preparation and delivery of the
food.
Using these highly mechanized units, Akshaya Patra is able to achieve the highest levels of
hygiene by reducing human contact with the food. After cooking, the food is packed into stainless
steel containers and transported via conveyor belts to be loaded into custom made food
distribution vehicles, to be taken to the beneficiary schools.

Decentralized Kitchens
Decentralized kitchens are set up in locations where geographical terrain and bad road
connectivity make it difficult to set up a large infrastructure. These kitchens are run by women
Self-Help Groups (SHGs) who undertake the cooking process under the guidance of Akshaya
Patra.
The members of these groups are trained in Akshaya Patras kitchen processes and operations
module, and are monitored by Akshaya Patra representatives to ensure that safe, nutritious food
is being provided to children in their mid-day meal.

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Standard and Hygienic Kitchens (ISO Certified)

Akshaya Patra Kitchen: A beacon of quality

The Akshaya Patra Foundation operates based on a well-crafted module that puts hygiene and
quality on top of its priorities. They believe that eating is not only for nutrition, it is also for taste.
They want children to relish what they eat and hence, they prepare a different dish every day to
break the monotony.
Lets see what goes into making every meal completely safe, nutritious and tasty at the same
time.

Food Safety Management Systems

Akshaya Patras centralised kitchens are equipped to prepare meals for large scale feeding. A
strict kitchen process is observed which includes certain mandatory routines to be followed by
each member of the kitchen staff. Food Safety Management Systems are implemented in all the
kitchens be it centralized or decentralized, in order to handle, prepare and deliver food.

Food Safe Stainless Steel

The cooking in centralized kitchens begins very early in the morning. All kitchens run by the
organization follow a scheduled menu. All cauldrons, trolleys, rice chutes, dal/sambar tanks,
cutting boards, knives and other instruments in these units are sanitized before usage every single
day. All vessels used in the kitchens are made of food safe stainless steel of 304 Grade which is
capable of enduring high levels of temperature for long intervals.

Raw Materials
The raw materials that are procured are of the best quality and to ensure this robust Supplier
Quality Management System (SQMS) is implemented. This system further consists of a range of
examination processes like Supplier Selection, Supplier Qualification, Supplier Rating and so on.

Hygiene
In order to make sure that none of the personal hygiene practices are missed out before the
cooking begins, each staff member follows a routine hygiene chart. Daily shower, use of clean
uniforms, caps to cover the hair, face masks to cover the mouth and nose area, gloves, gumboots,
other protective gears and hand sanitization are mandatory.
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Recipes
Standardization of recipes is an important factor while maintaining high levels of nutrition along
with taste. In order to achieve these levels, a well-structured Quality Assurance programme is
implemented at all stages of Operations Pre-Production, Production and Post-Production.

Quality Control
The Quality Control process in the organization accepts raw materials only after thorough Quality
Inspection so as to meet all the requirements of our Raw Material Specifications which are
generally adopted from Food Safety Standards Act 2006 (FSSA). Twelve of the centralized
kitchens are ISO 22000:2005 certified and the remaining kitchens are in the process of this
certification.

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Achievements and Milestones
Hunger is the greatest ailment. Akhshaya Patras efforts to fight hunger and malnutrition have
earned them recognition, accolades and awards from all around the world. They have become
inspiration to many charitable organizations that are working in the same area, to up their
standards. Few of the recognitions are listed below:

In his letter to The Akshaya Patra Foundation, the President Barack Obama wrote, In just a
few years, Akshaya Patra has become the largest single feeding programme in the world. Your
example of using advanced technologies in central kitchens to reach children in 5,700 schools is
an imaginative approach that has the potential to serve as a model for other countries. Thank you
again for all of your efforts.

World Economic Forum invited Akshaya Patra to share its experiences for The Project Hunger in
Africa.

Akshaya Patra entered the Limca book of Records as 'the world's largest school meal
programme'. In June 2010, Akshaya Patra entered the India book of Records for running the
'world's largest school meal programme'.

Akshaya Patra received Silver for its Annual Report 2013-14, 'The Fab Five Superheroes' at the
International ARC Awards 2015 under the 'Foundation' category of Non-Traditional Annual
Reports. The organization also received Grand Award Winner position for the Best of International
category (Mid-East/India).

Akshaya Patras Annual Report 2013-14 has won Silver at the Summit Creative Awards (SCA)
2015. This is the third consecutive time that Akshaya Patra's Annual Report has been bestowed
with this honor at the SCA. The Foundation also won Gold for its film 'The Possibilities'.

Akshaya Patra received the Quality Mark Award for Achievement and Excellence in the NGO
segment for the year 2015.

Akshaya Patra received the Chanakya Award for NGO of the year 2015 by PRCI (Public
Relations Council of India).

Akshaya Patra Foundation was honoured the Nikkei Asia Prize one of the most prestigious
awards in Asia for its significant achievements in the Economic and Business Innovation
category. The award ceremony was held on 29th May, 2016 in Tokyo, Japan and Shri Madhu
Pandit Dasa, Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation was present to receive the award. As
part of the prize, The Foundation has received 3 million JYN along with a certificate by Mr
Naotoshi Okada, CEO of Nikkei Inc.

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Akshaya Patra has become a five time winner of the SAFA (South Asian Federation of
Accountants) Awards. The Foundation received the SAFA Best Presented Annual Report Awards
2013 in the Non-Governmental Organizations (including NPOs) category, coming ahead of the
other SAARC countries participating.

The Hubli and Vasanthapura (VK Hill) kitchens received CII National Food Safety Awards 2014.
The VK Hill kitchen received the highest award of 'Outstanding Performance in Food Safety' while
the Hubli Kitchen received the second highest award of 'Certificate of Commendation for
Significant Achievement in Food Safety'.

The Gujarat team received the Platinum award in the first category of the 3rd Annual Convention
and Competition of Lean Six Sigma. Akshaya Patra was the first and only NGO to take part in the
session, and came ahead of about 40 case studies presented by leading manufacturing
companies.

In the recently conducted Indizen 2014 5th National Convention on Operational Excellence by
Kaizen Institute of India (KII), The Akshaya Patra Foundation won the award in the category of
'Continued Commitment to Operational Excellence'.

Milestones

The Harvard Business school conducted an in depth case study on The Akshaya Patra
Foundation aimed to analyze the scalability and sustainability of the mid-day meal programme.
The study was carried out in Bangalore and Baran village, and published in December 2007.
On August 2012, Akshaya Patra reached an important milestone of serving its billionth meal.

Akshaya Patra nominated to be part of National Steering-cum-Monitoring Committee for MDM

Programme.

London Business School conducts a study on The Akshaya Patra Foundation.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation was honoured by the visit of Nobel Laureate, Prof. Muhammad
Yunus at the Hubballi Kitchen on 7 February, 2016. He was accompanied by Anousheh Ansari,
CEO of Prodea Systems and Dr Deshpande of the Deshpande Foundation. They were given a
tour round the kitchen and explained of the kitchen processes.

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How everyone can contribute?

Get Involved
Every one of us, at some time in our life, feels like contributing towards the betterment of the
society. But among the various obstacles faced by many of us in doing so, are limitations
pertaining to time. In order to tackle these and give you the opportunity to support a noble cause
of uplifting underprivileged school children in India, The Akshaya Patra Foundation has made
volunteering provisions that will give you the freedom to spread our message without disturbing
your schedule. Read on to know more about the volunteering options at Akshaya Patra.

Approach
If you have an idea that you would like to share with them, or if you wish to collaborate with them
for volunteering, fundraising and other activities, you can reach them in the following ways:
infodesk@akshayapatra.org

Initiate
There are various ways in which we can contribute towards societys progress. Its relatively
easier to support a cause pertaining to the upliftment of underprivileged children. Every child loves
an entertaining event like an art and craft workshop or a magic show. Each of us can make a
difference to the lives of these children in various ways. Either you can initiate and organize an
event at a Government school where Akshaya Patra provides meals or you can be part of an
event that is organized by the organization. Its your choice! The Akshaya Patra Foundation has
organized numerous events that have assisted in fundraising to support our cause.

OUTRIDE HUNGER - 'Outride Hunger' was a bike ride organized by The Akshaya Patra
Foundation in association with various biker groups in Bengaluru. Witnessing participation from
over 150 individuals from the city, the ride was a great success.

TEACHERS DAY CELEBRATION - September 2013 was an exciting month for many children
and teachers from several Government schools across Bengaluru. The entire month was packed
with different cultural activities performed by the students dedicated to their teachers. The
programme was organized by the employees of The Akshaya Patra Foundation.

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 CLICK IT WRITE A BLOGGERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS MEET - This was a bloggers' and
photographers meet, spread over two days, organized by The Akshaya Patra Foundation at
Banjarpalya Higher Primary School, Kanakapura (Bengaluru). The participants of the meet spent
a whole day with the school kids teaching them various activities. After the event the participants
wrote blogs and created photo galleries of their visit, made them accessible to the public and
shared them with Akshaya Patra.

A WALL OF HOPE AND JOY PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION - A photography exhibition that

showcased various images of children shot by different photographers from all over the world,
was held in Bengaluru for three days. The exhibit attracted over 1000 visitors.

CSR Opportunities

Why should you associate with The Akshaya Patra Foundation?

In India 43 per cent of children are malnourished and 1.5 million are at the brink of becoming
victims of malnourishment because of inflation. On the other side 1.7 million children in India, are
out-of-school. Akshaya Patra strives to address issues related to malnutrition, hunger and
deprivation of education by incentivizing food to bring children to school. Aim is to nourish children
ensuring they access education. Huge amount of support is required for the effort.
By working with Akshaya Patra, you can strengthen them in reaching more children every day.
Your CSR activity would ensure nourishment to each child they reach and keep them in school.
You could help them in developing sustainable models and augment their scalability.
Since inception, The Akshaya Patra Foundation has received valuable support from its
philanthropic corporate partners. As a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility, many private
and public sector organizations have wholeheartedly come forward to support the cause of
Akshaya Patra.
Many CSR opportunities are made available for the companies who choose to partner with them.
Below are a few of them:
Strategic philanthropy through funds & in-kind contributions
Cause-marketing initiatives
Events & sponsorship
Innovations & project solutions for children

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 Fundraise in your community
Generating awareness about the need to provide enough nutrition to children in India will go a
long way to sustaining our cause. Get your local community involved in the programme and keep
the momentum going!

Raising the funds locally:

There are many ways to generate interest in your community about the cause of Food for
Education
Organize a stand to represent The Akshaya Patra Foundation at a local event
Arrange a collection box at a local supermarket and make Akshaya Patra the beneficiary
Organize a local community event - it could be anything from a local sports day to a fund
raising party
Ask your childs nursery/school to organize a fund raising annual day programme
Organize an awareness campaign at your local rotary club and ask for donations
Organize a marathon and ask runners to be sponsored and donate the funds to Akshaya
Patra
Apart from these measures, there are some other things you could do
Organize collection tins at shops, bus stops, train stations, post offices etc. to collect funds for
Akshaya Patra
Distribute Akshaya Patra posters and information pamphlets to raise awareness about what
we do. You can place these in shops, supermarkets, schools, bus stops, restaurants etc.

34
Stories of Hope : Zinkal Wariya
This Akshaya Patra Beneficiary is a true victor.

The army stands guard to protect the country from the many perils it faces. One of our
beneficiaries wants to join this mighty institution to dedicate herself to the service of the country.
This young lady is Zinkal Wariya from Bhadaj Primary School in Bhadaj village, Ahmedabad,
studying in Std VIII. Her determination finds appreciation among her teachers, who are sure that
she will be successful in achieving her dream. They also say the manner in which she handled
the Republic Day event is quite praiseworthy.

The daughter of a father who works in a private firm and a mother who is employed as a house
help, Zinkal has two younger siblings a sister studying in Std VII and a brother who is in Std III.
Her helpful teachers are the biggest draw as far as school is concerned. Even though she likes
all the subjects taught, English is her favourite. Her interests, though, arent limited to books and
extend to singing, dancing, music the young girl enjoys playing the Indian percussion instrument
tabla and sports.

Sports, is Zinkals passion. She avidly participates in athletic meets in school and is particularly
passionate about track and field events. Her favourite is Long Jump and she even made it to the
Taluka Level sports meet after performing exceptionally well at the Corporation Level. Akshaya
Patras nutritious mid-day meals power these pursuits and Zinkal greatly appreciates its meals.
She talks fondly about the different dishes served, such as Daal Bhaat, Potato Subzi, Roti, Sukhdi,
Khichdi and Daal Dhokli and likes all of them, since they are healthy and nutritious.
35
A strong vision of a true educator
There is an excited bustle every Saturday at the Government High School, Policy Colony. The
children are ready to watch 'I am Kalam', an inspirational Bollywood feature film highlighting the
significance of education. G Ranganath, the Head Master of the school says, "Teaching
methodologies should evolve with time. Children of today's generation grasp better when the
message is conveyed through the audio-visual medium. It also makes the learning experience
enjoyable." The principal states that this simple initiative has helped in improving attendance at
the school. In the initial days, there were children who would never miss school on Saturdays but
on other days they would not attend school. That's when it was announced that the children need
to have good attendance record to attend the screenings.

When Ranganath joined the school as

Head Master, the highest score in the
SSLC public examination was 73 per
cent. In the 2012-2013 SSLC
examinations, a student from the school
scored 96 per cent. Incidentally, the
same student has even authored a book
in Kannada while pursuing his studies at
the school.

The large playground, numerous trees

and breeze make the school an ideal
place to study and play. Ranganath says
he always held the environment close to
his heart. He says, "Years ago I worked in a school which was adjacent to an open ground where
people would often dump garbage. When I started planting trees, people questioned why I took
the effort to do so. A few years later, the trees guarded the school from the stench." Here in this
school too, Ranganath has planted and nurtured at least ten trees. During summer vacation when
he comes to school, he is seen sitting under the shade of the Avenue tree, locally known as
"Honge mara".

Another highlight of the school is its library. In 2002, there were just 280 books in the library. The
Head Master then set a target to collect at least 1000 books a year. Today there are 10,000 books
spanning languages, academics, general knowledge and others. The children are allowed to
borrow books and the library register tells that the children have developed a love for reading.

Speaking about his childhood, Ranganath says, "Hunger and poverty was never new to me. I was
driven by the will to succeed and secured the fourth rank in the state in the TCH examinations. I
taught at the school in the morning and attended the evening college to pursue my Bachelor's
and Master's degree." At present he is working on his doctoral thesis on adolescence.
Appreciating the mid-day meal programme, he says, "The government, by partnering with
organisations like Akshaya Patra, have ensured that children receive tasty and nutritive meal. The
programme has been successful in reducing child labour and improving school enrollment and
attendance."

36
Other NGOs fighting the same cause

IFBN (Indian Food Banking Networks): This organization works for the same cause that is
to eradicate hunger and malnutrition from India. The operational methodology of this NGO
includes setting up of Food Banks throughout the country, so that every district has at least
one food bank by 2020. It acquires donated food and makes it available to people who are
hungry or lack nutritional food.

Ekta Shakti Foundation: a social service organization was originated with the sole objective
to synchronize the development efforts made by various State Government to nourish children
in the schools under mid day meal scheme and to propagate care, support and social welfare
interventions along with livelihood promotion among youth and women through training on
market led trades.

Naandi: To enhance the quality of life of the marginalized and less privileged in our society
by addressing concerns of hunger, quality education, drinking water and livelihood
opportunities.

Jay Gee Humanitarian Society: The Society got involved in providing Mid Day Meal (cooked
food) to various Government bodies since conception of the program.

37
Conclusion
Akshaya Patras contribution to fight hunger and malnutrition among the poor children is
commendable. Their efforts are appreciable with the fact that it has been recognized and it has
been awarded many awards for their contribution to the society. From serving to nearby 5 schools
and now their presence in 12 states about the involvement of mass and initiative. Their
humanitarian approach is merged with the organized operation and delivery methods and
processes to cater the need of millions of poor children. Induction of various project management
and Quality initiatives and methods has made them to increase their efforts in many folds. The
trust and spiritual bond established in hearts of millions will only result in serving more and more
poor children so that they are deprived of education because of hunger. We all should become
active participants in their in their heartwarming endeavor by any means may be donation or
volunteering. I believe Akshaya Patra through their pure thoughts and zeal will change the
statistical index of the malnutrition in India.

38
References
http://www.imasocialentrepreneur.com/social-responsibility/

http://www.isrworld.org/2008_06_01_archive.html

http://www.akshayapatra.org/

http://www.archive.india.gov.in/sectors/education/index.php?id=7

http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Midday_Meal_Scheme

http://www.akshayapatra.org/uploads/files/csr-document.pdf

http://www.indiafoodbanking.org/about/food-banking

http://www.ektashakti.com/what-we-do.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-governmental_organization

39