Akshaya Patra and MUFG Collaborate to Commence Mid-Day Meal Feeding in Silvassa
Silvassa: The Akshaya Patra Foundation has collaborated with the MUFG Bank Ltd., the
banking entity of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), to commence mid-day meal feeding in Silvassa, the capital of the UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. This is the Foundation’s second kitchen to be constructed with the support of MUFG. It will serve hot, safe and nutritious meals for 51,000 children in 338 Government and Government-aided schools in the UT Administrations of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.
The occasion was graced by senior representatives of MUFG including Mr. Junsuke “John” Koike – Regional Executive for India and Sri Lanka, and Ms. Renu Vijayanand – Managing Director & Head of Human Resources. Also present at the event were Shri Jaganmohan Krishna Dasa – President, Akshaya Patra (Gujarat).
After the inauguration, dignitaries were given a guided tour of the kitchen facility. They also served meals to children at the kitchen premises. All the dignitaries present at the event expressed their full support and encouragement to the initiative.
Mr. Koike said, “Just as India and Japan have been working together to strengthen the infrastructure of India, it is our privilege to play our part in developing the social infrastructure of the nation. Through our ongoing partnership with Akshaya Patra, we will continue to work towards nurturing the next generation and provide the necessary conditions for children to attend school, raise their chances of success, and
contribute to the growth of the country in the long run.”
Shri Jaganmohan Krishna Dasa expressed his gratitude to MUFG for their support to the Foundation’s endeavour to address classroom hunger. He said, “We are immensely grateful to MUFG for partnering with us to build this kitchen in Silvassa, which will help us serve quality, hygienic, nutritious, and tasty meals to 51,000 children in the region every school day.” He further added, “We are grateful to the UT Administration of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and U.T. Administration of Daman & Diu for providing us this opportunity to serve the children as well as the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India, for their continued support.”
On the occasion, Shri Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice-Chairman, Akshaya Patra said, “I would like to wholeheartedly thank MUFG for taking forward this collaboration by extending their support to a second kitchen. This partnership will play a crucial role in ensuring the sustainability that is integral to our endeavour and help us in reaching out to more children with tasty, hygienic, and nutritious meals every school day.”
Like all the other Akshaya Patra kitchens, the Silvassa kitchen will follow world-class manufacturing practices and the highest standards of hygiene, food safety, and quality to ensure that a diverse and nutritious school lunch, tailored to match the local palate, is delivered to children every day.
As the implementing partner of the Government of India’s Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Akshaya Patra has collaborated with 12 State Governments across the country for the programme. MUFG and Akshaya Patra first collaborated in August 2017 with the launch of the first high-tech kitchen in Narsingi, Telangana to provide mid-day meals to over 35,000 children in the state.