Akshaya Patra conducts Bhumi Puja of its first centralised kitchen in Uttarakhand

DEHRADUN, India - Feb. 13, 2018 - PRLog -- The Akshaya Patra Foundation, in association with Hans Foundation, conducted the Bhumi Puja for building its first centralised kitchen in the state of Uttarakhand. This facility will serve nutritious and wholesome mid-day meals to over 30,000 children in the district of Dehradun. The Bhoomi Puja ceremony was held at the proposed kitchen site in Sudhowala village, off Chakrata road, Dehradun.

Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, was the Chief Guest for the ground breaking ceremony. Shri Arvind Pandey, Education Minister, Shri Bhole Ji Maharaj, and Smt Mangala Mataji, founders of Hans Foundation, Shri Balaraj Passi, Former Member of Parliament, Shri Sahadev Singh Pundir, MLA Sahaspur and other MLAs of Dehradun district were also present as Guests of Honour. The event was presided by Shri Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation.

Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat, Honourable Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, said "Our government is committed to ensure that our children are educated and well nourished. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is known for setting up state-of-the-art kitchens which leverage technology to cook hygienic, nutritious and tasty meals. We welcome Akshaya Patra to Uttarakhand and look forward to an enduring partnership in the service of children."

Shri Arvind Pandey, HonourableEducation Minister said "Mid-day meals are very crucial to ensure that education reaches to all the children in the state. We wish to strengthen the programme and have partnered with Akshaya Patra to make this possible."

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Chanchalapathi Dasa said "I would like to wholeheartedly thank the Honourable Chief Minister, Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat, and all the dignitaries for gracing this event.The semi-automated kitchen to be built here in Dehradun will house a roti machine which can produce over 20,000 rotis in an hour. Cauldrons will cook 3,700 litres of dhal and 6000 litres of rice per day. This kitchen in Sudhowala will be first of the three kitchens to be set up in Dehradun. Two more kitchens will be setup in Dehradun on similar lines to cover beneficiary children in the plain areas."

Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, expressed his happiness and remarked "We are very happy to begin our programme in the celebrated devbhoomi of Uttarakhand and serve children. The mid-day meals program is a crucial intervention in the education system which ensures that children are retained in school and that they are able to make better use of the benefits afforded by the government schools for furthering their education. We are thankful to the Government of Uttarakhand, led by the Honourable Chief Minister,Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat,for giving us an opportunity to serve children in the state. We also express our heartfelt thanks to Hans foundation for having come forward to sponsor the kitchens"

About The Akshaya Patra Foundation

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation headquartered in Bengaluru, India. The organisation strives to fight issues like hunger and malnutrition in India. By implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Government schools and Government aided schools, the Foundation 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.  Akshaya Patra has grown from humble beginnings serving just 1,500 school children across 5 schools in partnership with the Government of India, various State Governments and inestimable support from many philanthropic donors and well-wishers. Today, Akshaya Patra is the world's largest (not-for- profit run) Mid-Day Meal Programme serving wholesome food to over 1.66 million children from 13,839 schools across 12 states in India.

For more details, visit www.akshayapatra.org