The Akshaya Patra Foundation in Association with Shri Adish Jain, Smt Asha Jain and Shri Shachi Rattan, Smt Neelam Rattan Lays the Foundation for its Centralised Mid-Day Meal Kitchen in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

Ghaziabad : The Akshaya Patra Foundation laid the foundation stone for its upcoming centralised mid-day meal kitchen in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, supported by philanthropists Shri Adish Jain, Smt Asha Jain and Shri Shachi Rattan, Smt Neelam Rattan. The ceremony was conducted in the presence of General (Dr.) Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd.), Hon’ble Minister of State, Civil Aviation & Road Transport Highway, Government of India.

This new kitchen is being built over an area of 2.5 acres and once operational will serve healthy, nutritious, and sumptuous mid-day meals to over 1 lakh children of 524 government and government-aided schools in the region. This centralised unit is expected to be operational by December 2024. It will be equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure and will adhere to the highest standards of hygiene and safety. The Ghaziabad kitchen will be the Foundation’s fifth kitchen in Uttar Pradesh.

Also present at the ceremony were Shri Sandeep Singh, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) – Basic Education, Government of Uttar Pradesh; Shri Asim Arun, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) – Social Welfare, Scheduled Caste & Tribal Welfare, Government of Uttar Pradesh; Shri Narendra Kashyap, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) – Backward Class Welfare & Divyangjan Empowerment, Government of Uttar Pradesh; Smt. Kanta Kardam, MP – Rajya Sabha; Shri Satya Pal Singh, MP – Lok Sabha, Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh; Dr. Manju Shiwach, MLA – Modinagar Ghaziabad; Shri Nand Kishor Gurjar, MLA – Loni, Ghaziabad; Shri Ajit Pal Tyagi, MLA – Muradnagar, Ghaziabad; Shri Sunil Sharma, MLA – Sahibabad, Ghaziabad; Shri Atul Garg, MLA – Ghaziabad, Ghaziabad; Shri Dinesh Goyal, MLC – Graduation Seat Meerut; and Shri Rakesh Kumar Singh (IAS), District Magistrate, Ghaziabad. The ceremony was presided by Shri Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice-Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation.

Shri Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice-Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, said, “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Hon’ble Minister of State, Civil Aviation & Road Transport Highway, General (Dr.) Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd.), for taking time off from his busy schedule to grace the occasion. I also thank Shri Adish Jain, Smt Asha Jain and Shri Shachi Rattan, Smt Neelam Rattan, for their invaluable support in building this kitchen. We are grateful to the Government of Uttar Pradesh for this opportunity to serve the children of Ghaziabad and would like to take this moment to reiterate our commitment to various developmental programmes and initiatives of the administration. It has always been our endeavour to reach more children while ensuring sustainability for our kitchens. Food security is one of the major concerns of our country and I am glad we are able to come together to address this persistent impediment. It is important that we, as conscious individuals, do whatever is necessary for the children, the community, and our society.” He further added, “Such collaborative efforts by all the stakeholders will surely take us closer to our mission to ensure a world where children do not have to choose between education and food. Lastly, I would also like to take a moment to thank the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India, for their continued support of our efforts to serve children and communities over the last 22 years.”

Both the donors, Shri Adish Jain, Smt Asha Jain and Shri Shachi Rattan & Smt Neelam Rattan, said they are committed in supporting the foundations cause of overcoming hunger by providing mid-day meals to this region and they are confident that this initiative will empower many children to aspire and achieve their dreams.

Akshaya Patra has been an implementing partner of the Government of Uttar Pradesh for the school lunch programme since 2003. The Foundation currently serves over 2.60 lakh mid-day meals to government and government-aided schools every school day.