Akshaya Patra

The Indian NGO for children The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been in service of children since June 2000. With the vision of “No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger”, this charity for children implements the mid-day meal programme in nine states of India.

Under the guidance and support of the Central Government and the various State Governments, Akshaya Patra has grown from feeding just in one location to feeding children in 20 locations by the end of March 2013. 13 years of service to children is witnessed in the form of different success stories of the beneficiaries from across the country.

Any social cause cannot reach its full potential without continued community support. This is where this NGO for children would like to thank all its supporters and well-wishers for their unswerving support throughout these feeding years. In order to sustain this support and also to make it more engaging, this charity for children is constantly evolving various ways for its supporters to get involved with its cause. Some of the options are: Volunteer, Donor, and Corporate supporter.

Choosing to volunteer with this charity for children gives you a wide choice from both online and offline category. If you are an avid internet user, you can volunteer to use social media to spread the word of Akshaya Patra’s cause. If you are more into working at the ground level, you can team up with your friends and visit schools and share your skills with the beneficiaries.

When you choose to donate, the online donation for children would be the fastest and easiest mode of donation. The online donation for children helps you contribute for the beneficiaries from the comforts of your home or office with just few clicks. However if you do not wish to contribute online donation for children, then this NGO for children also provides the option of offline donation and mobile donation. These different modes give the donor the comfort of choosing the method that best suits them. Whether you choose online, offline or mobile donation mode, all donations made above Rs. 500 are eligible for 100% tax exemption. As a corporate supporter, this Indian charity for children has listed out different ways to support the Foundation’s cause under CSR initiative.

Your support and involvement with this charity for children will potentially help in feeding millions of children and also help them get educated. More of than not, the mid-day meal acts a great incentive for parents and children. The parents send their children to school so that they a mouth less to feed and the children continue coming to school because they receive freshly cooked wholesome meal in their local palate. This is so because most of the beneficiaries are reported to coming to school empty stomach and this meal becomes their first and sometimes their only meal for the day.

Change the future through this NGO for children!

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The 2012-13 Akshaya Patra Annual Report received the ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) Gold Shield Award for the fifth year in a row. With this ICAI award Akshaya Patra also entered the ICAI Hall of Fame. Akshaya Patra is the first NGO to have received this honour and it shares the space with only two organisations namely Infosys Limited and Nucleus Software.

This award for Akshaya Patra’s financial report is a testimony to the commitment and sincerity the Foundation shows towards maintaining transparency and financial disclosures. Being an NGO registered under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882, though there are no established reporting norms or standards applicable to the Foundation, yet Akshaya Patra has taken the initiative to comply with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as well as the Revised Schedule VI format of presentation of Financial Statements under the Indian GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Practices). The Foundation has also been recognised as the first NGO in India to comply with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

The Akshaya Patra Annual Report is an all-inclusive report of the Foundation’s developments, achievements, future plans and financial disclosures. The Akshaya Patra Annual Report includes details of all its 20 operating locations. It also gives state-wise financial break-up of all the nine states where it is implementing the mid-day meal programme.

Some of the significant criterions adopted by panel of ICAI Awards for identifying the deserving awardees are:

Nature and quality of financial information in Annual Report to enable informed decision making (e.g. judicious use of schedules, manner of showing comparative figure, charts, tables and graphs, clarity, lucidity) and comprehensiveness of information from point of view of stakeholders.
Explanatory statement by management with brief comparative analysis of the performance of the entity (comprehensiveness and adequacy of the management discussions and analysis)
The extent, nature and quality of non-financial information presented in the annual report.
Comprehensiveness, adequacy, quality and content of disclosure and accounting policies
Compliance with statutory requirements and requirements of concerned regulators for preparation and presentation of Financial Statements.

Speaking on being the recipient of Hall of Fame, Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman of The Akshaya Patra Foundation said, "The Governance philosophy of The Akshaya Patra Foundation refers to a set of regulations and good practices that enabled us to maintain transparency, accountability and create value for all our stakeholders. We have and we will continue to adhere to the world class accounting standards and norms”.

Click Annual Report to view the Akshaya Patra financial report that received ICAI Award for the year 2012-13. Click to view other Akshaya Patra Awards.

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The mid-day meal programme for school children has proved to be one of the most impactful initiatives of the Government of India in the sector of child education was and health. The mid-day meal programme for school children acted as a supporting pillar for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) initiative.

This programme turned out to be an effective intervention in the socio-economic context of India for bringing children to school. It was observed that there was an increase in the rate of enrolment in the schools that provide cooked mid-day meal and also the attendance and retention rate showed a considerable increase. Seeing the impact of cooked mid-day meal the Government wanted to expand the programme and also expected community participation.

This is how the role of NGO in mid-day meal programme came to fore. In a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, the Government partnered with many NGOs to reach out to the grass root level of the society. Realising the significant role NGO can play in expanding and implementing the mid-day meal programme, the Government also initiated the provision of Grants and Subsidies. Apart from the Grants and Subsidies to run the programme the NGOs can also raise funds in the form of donations. Online donation to mid-day meal programme is fast catching up among donors because of its easy, hassle-free and user-friendly feature.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one of the implementing NGO of the mid-day meal programme for school children. This NGO too works in a Public-Private Partnership model. The role of this NGO in mid-day meal programme has been substantial as it has grown from feeding 1,500 children in 2000 to 1.3 million children over a period of 13 years.

Akshaya Patra has understood the critical role of NGO in mid-day meal programme and hence plans all its expansions and operations strategically and practically so as to continue feeding the existing beneficiaries along with the new inclusions. The success stories of the Foundation introduce you to the lives and hopes of the beneficiaries of the mid-day meal programme. It also brings to fore their commitment and sincerity towards their aspiration despite all odds.

Akshaya Patra provides many platforms for its supporters to fulfil their thoughtful charity. Volunteer, Donor, Corporate supporter and CSR initiative are some of the ways a supporter can get involved witht the cause of Akshaya Patra. It has been observed that among the donors online donation to mid-day meal programme has been a widely used option. It is mainly because online donation aids in quick and user-friendly process of donation. However, in order to maintain donor comfort Akshaya Patra also gives the option of offline donation and mobile donation along with the option of online donation to mid-day meal programme.

Join the mid-day meal programme for school children and help the children in India to get nourished with food and education.

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The Akshaya Patra Foundation is into feeding the children in Bangalore Government schools along with Government schools of 19 locations across India. By implementing the mid-day meal programme in nine states of India, Akshaya Patra does not get restricted to being just a Karnataka NGO. To accomplish the full potential of the mid-day meal programme and also to benefit more and more children, Akshaya Patra operates both the Centralised and the Decentralised model of kitchens.

Due to huge infrastructure and accessibility required by Centralised kitchen, these kitchens are a part of urban or semi-urban setting. But, in order to reach out to children despite the challenges of geographical terrain and accessibility Akshaya Patra runs the Decentralised model of kitchen. Akshaya Patra has two kitchens in Bangalore and both are centralised. Know more about the functioning of the kitchens at the Akshaya Patra Kitchen Infrastructure.

Though the origin of the Foundation would refer it as a Karnataka NGO but its expansion and impact and implementation would befit it as an Indian NGO. The Foundation did begin its functions by feeding the children in Bangalore but it has strived to make its mission of “To feed 5 million children by 2020” achievable by expanding and feeding the children of many other locations covering the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. In total the Foundation operates 20 kitchens including the Akshaya Patra kitchen in Bangalore. Of this 18 are centralised kitchen and the remaining two locations follow the decentralised model namely Baran in Rajasthan and Nayagarh in Odisha.

The centralised kitchen model of Akshaya Patra has received a citation in the NP-NSPE guidelines as a model infrastructure for mass production of mid-day meals. Akshaya Patra has also received the Innovation for being the pioneer in using technology to prepare mid-day meals. The Akshaya Patra kitchen in Bangalore as well as other locations welcomes supporters and visitors for a guided tour of the entire facility. Once you drop a mail at infodesk@akshayapatra.org regarding your interest in a kitchen visit, a concerned person will provide you with all the details of the visit and you can get a hands-on experience of how every day Akshaya Patra is able to prepare meals for 1.3 million children regularly.

Having started as a Karnataka NGO in 2000, today Akshaya Patra is well known as an Indian Mid-Day Meal NGO. The Foundation has received noteworthy recognitions both nationally and internationally. Know more about this NGO by clicking The Akshaya Patra Foundation. Get to know the difference a meal can bring into a child’s life at success stories. Choose to feed the children in Bangalore and other locations by contributing towards the Foundation either through online donation, offline donation or mobile donation. For Corporates and other organisations Akshaya Patra also has a platform to fulfil their CSR initiative programmes.

Make a visit to Akshaya Patra kitchen to experience the potential and help feed the budding minds!

The Akshaya Patra Foundation implements the mid-day meal programme in nine states of India. It works in a Public-Private Partnership model thereby receiving support from the Central Government, State Governments and generous donors. It is always in the stride for bettering its process and operations so that it is always geared up to feed more and more children. Akshaya Patra has adopted a continual programme under the umbrella named Akshaya Pragathi Program.

The Akshaya Pragathi Program is an initiative to further streamline and improve the already existing good practices within the Foundation. It is an initiative that will help increase efficiency of the existing process in feeding children. Some of the continual improvement programs under the

Akshaya Pragathi Program are Kaizen, Six Sigma and other various continual improvement projects. One of the simple yet effective models under this initiative is PDCA-Plan, Do, Check, Act. PDCA is an effective series of step-wise check on process efficiency and it also allows for quick an immediate addressing of issues. Kaizen (Kai=continual, Zen=improvement) system focuses on making creative investments to solve small problems, thereby contributing to the greater whole.

Six Sigma is another improvement programme under this initiative of Akshaya Patra. It is a five step process that helps an organisation to reach world class efficiency. The five steps are: Define what’s important, Measure how you are doing, Analyse what is wrong, Improve by fixing what is wrong and Control to guarantee performance abbreviated as DMAIC.

The whole motto of the Akshaya Pragathi Program and the various improvement processes under it is to improve and sustain good practices in implementation of the mid-day meal programme. Akshaya Patra is well aware that to feed 5 million children by 2020, it requires having a full proof and standard operating system to carry out the programme. To achieve this employees across the board are trained on these improvement processes. As training is an integral part of the whole system, the Quality Department conducted more than 6,000 man hours of training on 5S, Lean and Kaizen, GMP and ISO Awareness across all locations. Witnessing the positive results, the Quality Department aims to conduct 15,000 man hours of training over the financial period of 2013-14.

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‘Help educate children’- a phrase which we have heard many a times directly indicates the potential of education in breaking the vicious cycle of hunger-illiteracy-poverty. But, in the socio-economic scenario of India, it has been observed that food becomes an important intervention in bringing and retaining children at school.

When an adult’s mind cannot think straight with an empty stomach, then how can we expect a child to learn with an empty stomach? The Akshaya Patra Foundation is helping to educate children by implementing the mid-day meal programme. ‘Unlimited food for education’ is what the Foundation strives to provide each day.

Helping underprivileged children get the goodness of food and education is one of the noblest charities. Support towards such a cause will not only help underprivileged children to see themselves at par with the privileged children but will also boost their hope and sense of achievement. There are many organisations that are working towards the causes of food and education. Seeing the potential of these two factors, even the Government looks forward to increased community involvement so that children at the grass root level can be benefited too. Though not directly involved with the cause of right to education yet Akshaya Patra’s support for education is well stated in its vision of “No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger”.

Your donation towards Akshaya Patra will be directly utilised for providing mid-day meal to children. So when you choose to donate food for children through this Indian NGO, you are actually contributing towards the education of the children too. It is observed that mid-day meal has enhanced the level of concentration during class hours among children. It has also helped in contributing towards their nutritional level thereby making them healthy and active.

The mid-day meal has also helped in improved attendance and retention rate. As the food provided by Akshaya Patra is universal and can be consumed by children of any caste and creed, it has shown positive results in improved socialisation. This infers that your donation towards food for children have several significant impacts.

The future of India is in the hands of the generation that is in school today. So if we need a better future we need more and more educated citizens. Thus, it becomes the duty of each one of us to provide our help to educate children. It becomes our responsibility to help underprivileged children of India. As food has proved to be an important incentive for children to come to school donating food for children through The Akshaya Patra Foundation will help the NGO sustain and scale up its operations in many new locations thereby reaching out to feed many more children.
Choose to donate food for children and help create healthy and educated generations. Start today!

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It’s not just preparing mid-day meals rather it’s about preparing it hygienically by retaining all the nutrition- a common thread that runs across all Akshaya Patra kitchens. The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been recognised as the world’s largest NGO run mid-day meal programme. It provides mid-day meals to over 1.3 million children every day covering more than 10,000 Government schools across 20 locations of nine Indian states.

Akshaya Patra knows the importance of providing healthy, hygienic and nutritious meals to the children. It directs all its efforts towards providing ‘unlimited food for education’. The best part about the food for children provided by Akshaya Patra is its quality of being universal. Though the mid-day meals cooked in each Akshaya Patra kitchen may vary slightly in order to cater to the local palate but the food cooked can be consumed by children of all communities. This has also led to improved socialisation among children. It allows every child to sit together and enjoy their meal.

All Akshaya Patra kitchens follow standard process for the production of the mid-day meals. Even though the Akshaya Patra kitchens follow two formats- centralised kitchen and decentralised kitchen format yet the food safety measures taken by the Foundation is very rigid. The format for a particular Akshaya Patra kitchen depends on the terrain and accessibility of the location. Being functional in 20 locations, the Foundation operates centralised kitchens in 18 locations and the remaining two locations namely Baran in Rajasthan and Nayagarh in Odisha follow the decentralised format. Of the 18 centralised kitchens, 11 kitchens of Akshaya Patra are ISO certified and the remaining seven are in the process of certification.

The Akshaya Patra ISO certified kitchens are a testimony to the food safety standards maintained by the Foundation in preparation of food for children. A more detailed process of Akshaya Patra kitchens can be viewed at The Akshaya Patra Kitchen Infrastructure. The centralised kitchen format of the Foundation has received citation in NP-NSPE guidelines a model infrastructure for large scale mid-day meals production. Akshaya Patra also bagged the CII National Award for Food Safety 2013 by The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII-Jubilant Bhartia Food & Agriculture Centre of Excellence). The Foundation is always committed to provide nutritious and hygienic mid-day meals to children without any compromise.

Did you know that donating towards mid-day meal for school children can give you tax benefits? Yes, you got that right! You can save tax by donation to mid-day meal programme. Mid-day meal is a free school lunch programme initiated by the Government of India. Under this programme the children of Government schools avail free lunches at school.

There are many NGOs across the country that implements this programme under the guidance of the Government. Mid-day meal for school children has been able to attract increased enrolment and has also been able counter drop-out rate. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one of the NGO implementing this programme in nine states. So when you save tax by donating to Akshaya Patra, you are helping 1.3 million children to get nutritious meal and education.

Akshaya Patra has been serving mid-day meal for school children since June 2000. It started the programme by feeding 1,500 children in five Government schools of Bangalore. Today, the same NGO feeds 1.3 million children across nine states of India covering 10,050 Government schools.

Akshaya Patra runs this programme in a Public-Private Partnership and receives Grants and Subsidies from the Government. Ending March 2013, the Government contribution to the NGO has been 51% thereby leaving 49% of the funds to be raised by the NGO. Hence, fund raising is in important activity to run and sustain the mid-day meal programme. The donor too can save tax by donating to Akshaya Patra under section 35AC of the Income Tax Act of the Government of India.

An Akshaya Patra donor can save tax by donating above Rs. 500 towards the NGO. With the advantage of saving tax by donation to the charity, the donor is actually helping the charity to provide mid-day meal to more school children. In turn, the donor is also offering a helping hand to many underprivileged children to receive at least one wholesome meal and a day full of knowledge.

The impact of The Akshaya Patra Foundationmid-day meal for school children is seen across all feeding locations. The success stories of the beneficiaries and teachers tell the tale of Akshaya Patra’s impact. The Annual Report of the Foundation will give you a closer look at the functioning and achievements of the NGO. Akshaya Patra has been the five times consecutive winner of the prestigious ICAI Gold Shield Award, and award that by itself talks of the Foundation’s level of transparency.

Each wholesome meal can nourish an entire generation. Each academic year can change the face of tomorrow. So, why wait? Take a step towards helping mid-day meal for school children reach its full potential and also save tax by making a donation towards Akshaya Patra.

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The Akshaya Patra Foundation established its presence in Andhra Pradesh when it started its kitchens at Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam in October 2008.This charity in Andhra Pradesh reaches out to 60,098 children across 461 government schools in the state every day, out which 54,849 children from 454 schools are from Hyderabad. The NGO for children in Hyderabad runs a centralised kitchen that delivers fresh, nutritious mid-day meals to government school children every day. This is one charity organisation in Hyderabad that also provides mid-day meals to 25,768 Anganwadi children every day.

The charity in Andhra Pradesh has also set up a centralised kitchen at Visakhapatnam that caters to 5,249 government school children and 34,241 Anganwadi children every day. The NGO for children in Hyderabad operates with 23 custom-made meal distribution vehicles that carry the food from the Hyderabad kitchen to schools all over the city. This charity organisation in Hyderabad saw many developments and improvements in the last year. The Hyderabad kitchen increased cooking capacity from 50,000 meals a day to 1,00,000.

The kitchen of this NGO for children in Hyderabad has also gained the distinction of winning, three times in a row, the ‘Best mid-day meal provider’ award presented by EPICURUS. Aside from the mid-day meal programme, this charity in Andhra Pradesh has also started other unique initiatives like The Akshaya Life Skills and Intervention Programme, Ananth Akshaya Scholarship, and feeding children at construction sites. With programmes like this in place, this charity organisation in Hyderabad is the source of many life changing success stories.

This charity in Andhra Pradesh is doing exceptional work through its mid-day meal and well as Anganwadi programme.This NGO for children in Hyderabad also provides meals as part of the Anganwadi programme to infants, lactating mothers and adolescents who drop out of school due to financial constraints. By being there for these various sections of society in needs, this charity organisation in Hyderabad helps ensure that they have sufficient nutrition to lead healthy lives, and secure their future.

The charity in Andhra Pradesh has no intention of relaxing now either.As part of its future plans it intends to increase feeding in Anganwadis by an additional 20,000 beneficiaries. This NGO for children in Hyderabad also intends to implement a GPRS tracking system to keep track of the meal distribution vehicles in the state. This charity organization in Hyderabad also intends to construct a new kitchen in the state, with the capacity to feed around 1.5 lakh children every day.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation today feeds over 1.3 million children across 20 locations in nine states of India. Their vision is that no child shall be denied an education because of hunger. To achieve this dream, their mission is to feed 5 million children by 2020. You can be a part of this incredible journey. Donate or volunteer with The Akshaya Patra Foundation and be a part of shaping a new, literate, healthy India.

Donate online or volunteer with The Akshaya Patra Foundation and be a part of shaping a new, literate, healthy India.

CSR opportunities are a major aid for every type of NGO. Every cause needs community participation and involvement which can be achieved in a major way through CSR opportunities. The Akshaya Patra Foundation too offers CSR opportunities for its supporters. In a recent development that occurred as a result of Corporate Social Responsibility with Akshaya Patra was the expansion of the NGO’s cause in Rourkela.

As a part of CSR initiative, the Steel Authority of India (SAIL) and Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) has donated Rs 8.24 crore to Akshaya Patra. This initiative will help the NGO to expand its mid-day meal programme in Rourkela. This development is expected to benefit 57,000 children in and around Rourkela covering about 431 Government schools. Read more about this development at Akshaya Patra starts a new kitchen in Rourkela. The Akshaya Patra Foundation already feeds 80,415 children in Odisha covering two locations namely Puri and Nayagarh. With the support that came by from SAIL and RSP on the grounds of Corporate Social Responsibility with Akshaya Patra, the NGO now will start feeding in Rourkela too.

In the past too, Akshaya Patra has had remarkable association with many Corporate Houses. To name few organisations that partnered for Corporate Social Responsibility with Akshaya Patra are: CISCO, ABB Limited, Genpact India, Jindal Aluminium, Jamsetji Tata Trust, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. (ONGC), Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) and many more. A click at Our Well Wishers will provide a list of organisations across all industry types that sought CSR opportunities with this Indian NGO.

The potential of CSR association is evident in the positive change that it brings to a NGO and its cause. Akshaya Patra too has experienced the positive impact of creating a platform for CSR opportunities. Corporate Social Responsibility with Akshaya Patra has helped corporate houses to fulfill their responsibility towards the society at large by giving an opportunity to get associated with the mid-day meal programme.

Community participation is always a welcome progression to counter various issues in the society then why not embrace CSR opportunities as a medium of support for a cause!

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The Akshaya Patra Foundation on LinkedIn

In a country like India it is important to donate to nonprofit organisations. Where the disparity between the rich and poor is so great it is especially vital to have a nonprofit organisation for children. One such children’s nonprofit organization is The Akshaya Patra Foundation.

Feeding over 1.3 million children across 10,050 government schools in India every day, The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a nonprofit organization for children that tries to promote the cause of Food for Education. This children’s nonprofit organization is aiming to achieve its mission of feeding 5 million children by 2020. The country is dependent on the more fortunate to donate to nonprofit organisations such as Akshaya Patra to help turn the tide of poverty and hunger it rides on right now.

This nonprofit organization for children currently runs 21 kitchens across 9 states in India, with the latest kitchen being opened in Rourkela. By serving the mid-day meals in schools, this children’s nonprofit organization has created an incentive for parents to send their children to school. Most children come from low income families where the mid-day meal is often their only meal for the day. This meal provides the children with the basic nutrition they need through the healthy, tasty mid-day meals. It is vital to donate to nonprofit organisations such as Akshaya Patra to keep their good work carrying on.

This children’s nonprofit organisation holds hygiene above all else. Across all the kitchens run by this nonprofit organisation for children, stringent food safety systems are in place to ensure hygiene at all levels from food procurement, cooking, cleaning, loading and delivery, as well as personal hygiene from all the staff. Realising the worth of Akshaya Patra’s good deeds, many companies looking to donate to nonprofit organisations as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) plan have chosen to work with Akshaya Patra. Some names amongst these are Cisco, Jamsetji Tata Trust, Vasudev Adiga’s, SAIL and many others.

Also, this nonprofit organisation for children has been the recipient for many prestigious awards. The children’s nonprofit organisation is the five-time winner of the ICAI Gold Shield award for excellence in field of financial reporting and has been inducted into the ICAI Hall of Fame. It also received the Corporate Collateral Award Gold by PRCI in the Annual Report category, and won Gold in the Annual Report section of The League of American Communications Professionals (LACP), 2012/13 Vision Awards. Given its hard work and strong achievements in its drive towards realising its cause, generous patrons looking to donate to nonprofit organisations have found a worthy one in Akshaya Patra.

Akshaya Patra always looks to achieve new milestones. Help the Foundation reach that goal. Donate or Volunteer with Akshaya Patra to help take the cause of Food for Education forward.

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The Akshaya Patra Foundation on LinkedIn

Like many other registered NGOs, The Akshaya Patra Foundation too provides its donors the benefit of tax deduction on donations. As an encouragement to implement the programme and also enhance community participation, the Central Government of India through the Finance Ministry has aided Akshaya Patra in a remarkable way by allowing the Foundation to seek donations and also provide tax deduction on donations under section 35 AC and 80G of Income Tax Act. The Foundation has also been permitted to collect overseas donation under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 1976.

The 13 years journey of Akshaya Patra would not have been possible without the charitable donation for children education through food. The Foundation is glad that it is able to thank the generosity of the valuable contributions at least through with the provision of tax deductions on donations. The importance of each penny is understood while gauging the difference it makes in a child’s life by gifting him or her with the goodness of food and education. The donation that an individual contributes is doubly beneficial. First, a share of his hard earned money goes toward child benefit and second, the donation is accounted for tax deduction.

When you contribute to Akshaya Patra, every donation of above Rs. 500 is eligible for availing tax deduction. Even though there is a provision of availing tax exemption, every donor would look at the reliability of a NGO before making any contribution. For the interest of the donor and also to continue maintaining the policy of transparency, Akshaya Patra provides to useful levels of references. The following links will provide details on cost break-up and audited financial report of the past fiscal year- Cost break-up of meal and Annual Report 2012-13.

Donations made online or offline are both eligible for availing the benefits of tax deduction. Depending on the ease and preference, a donor can choose to contribute donation for children education through food at: online donation, offline donation or mobile donation. If the donor wants to contribute as a part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative then he can see the various donating options at CSR initiative.

The mode and purpose of donation could be varied. But, what remains constant is that through each donation every individual endorses themselves to the cause of children education and healthy food. No exaggeration but each needy child is aware and thankful to each generous aid that has helped them receive one wholesome meal and hours of education every day. Food and education is the fundamental right of every citizen and this can be achieved only by active community participation. Government and NGOs are a medium but the actual difference can be made possible when the society steps in together.

Let’s together do something that will make us proud when we step into the future. Let’s together experience what’s called a ‘win-win situation’. Get involved with Akshaya Patra Foundation.

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The Akshaya Patra Foundation believes that no child should be denied an education because of hunger. The foundation started providing free mid-day meals at government schools in 2000 to help children in India. This not for profit organisation which feeds over 1.3 million children every day, manages to help children through donation. The supporters of this cause get in return for their charity donation of over Rs 500/- a tax benefit.

Through their bid to help children in India, The Akshaya Patra Foundation is now present in 20 locations across 9 states in the country. The foundation is able to help children through donation received from the government, companies as part of their CSR initiatives and also through individual donations. Patrons are also eligible for charity donation tax benefit, as an incentive to promote more involvement in this worthy cause.

Taking this quest to help children in India further, The Akshaya Patra Foundation is working towards fulfilling its mission of feeding 5 million children by 2020. Understanding that children cannot concentrate on their studies on a hungry belly, the foundation has been able to help children through donation received and provide ‘Food for Education’ across 10,050 government schools across the country. By highlighting the advantages of charity donation tax benefit, this foundation has been growing by leaps and bounds over the years.

In order to help children in India, The Akshaya Patra Foundation understands that quality is supreme. The foundation has been able to help children through donation received to provide them with food of good quality, utilise specially designed distribution vehicles, and put efficient safety measures in place. Over the years, the financial aid received from patrons has increased, also because of the growing awareness of the government granted charity donation tax benefit.

Because of its dedication to help children in India, The Akshaya Patra Foundation has kept food safety above all else, to the extent that the foundation has received the CII National Award for Food Safety from The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII – Jubilant Bhartia Food and Agricultural Centre of Excellence).

The willingness of the public to help children through donation is praiseworthy. Substantial aid has been received by The Akshaya Patra Foundation from generous donors like Cisco India, Jamsetji Tata Trust, Vasudev Adiga’s, Corporation bank, SBI Mutual Fund and others. The charity donation tax benefit has been instrumental in helping to increase public involvement with the Akshaya Patra mid-day meal scheme.

You can be instrumental by playing a role to help children in India. Donation online to the programme, and avail of the charity donation tax benefit for donations above Rs. 500/- You can also help children through donation of your time. Volunteer with the programme and be a part of this wonderful process of changing someone’s life.

Infosys featured Akshaya Patra Centralized kitchens on its 'Innovating for a Better Tomorrow', in partnership with CNN IBN. The show recognises entrepreneurs who have placed India on innovations map of the world, through their innovative ideas and creativity. Akshaya Patra CNN IBN coverage featured Akshaya Patra on par with Innovation giants like Brahmos Aerospace and Narayan Hrudayalaya.

The organisations’ commitment to feed hungry children by its innovations was captured during the episode through a virtual tour to the Akshaya Patra Centralized kitchens and an exclusive interview with the Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman of the organisation. Highlighting on two major concerns, Hunger and Illiteracy, the Chairman said that a wholesome meal is closely related to classroom attention. A child, if distracted by hunger, will not be able to learn or internalise what is taught. He expressed that organisation is driven by the thought to feed hungry children and is inspired by the several million children whom, organisation still needs to reach.

The Akshaya Patra CNN IBN coverage captures the innovative technologies developed so that feeding 1.3 million children is made possible. Roti making machine that can produce over 40,000 rotis per hour, heat insulated vehicles are among many innovations that has made Akshaya Patra Centralized kitchens innovation marvels.

The Chairman also highlighted the technology strategy adopted, to feed hungry children, at the organisation by referring to the culture of innovation that is seen throughout the organisation. He further said that we need to adopt ideas of technologies of the west and mix it with our own resources in order to localise innovations and address the local issues. Click here to watch the Akshaya Patra CNN IBN coverage.

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On an exclusive interview with India New England, Desh Deshpande talks about his experience in working with Akshaya Patra and about the 7th Annual Boston benefit that will be held on 29th March 2014 by The Akshaya Patra Foundation, USA.

In the talk, he brings out the importance to feed children in India, with nutritious meal so that they focus on education. He says the key to better life is education and hence it is important to work hard at realising Akshaya Patra mission of addressing classroom hunger.

Desh Deshpande expressed that Akshaya Patra now feeds 1.3 million children every school day, and his association with organisation has given him an opportunity to play a small role in supporting the Akshaya Patra Mission. He added that he talks about the organisation’s effort wherever he goes and is enthused by the amount of support that he has received from various individuals towards the cause.

Advising the local communities he invited support from local individuals in terms of finance, skills and emotional support, inviting people to contribute by attending the event on 29th March, and support the cause to feed children in India. He said that there is also “Power of One” programme where people can contribute if they cannot be present at the event. Only $15 could feed a child for a year. He explained, that it costs $30 to produce food for a child for a whole year, however $15 is contributed by Government of India and hence by donating $15, one can ensure that a child in India is served food for an entire year.

In reference to his involvement he shared that he got involved with Akshaya Patra about eight years ago. As the organisation is committed to the Akshaya Patra mission inherently and is at par with profit companies in executing its operations. To feed children in India, the organisation builds large kitchens that are technical marvels. There are 20 kitchens all over India and each kitchen serves 50,000 to 175,000 meals. The organisation, he remarked, has consistently won the GOLD award for the best accounting practices. The detailed accounting helps the organisation measure everything that is important and manage it. Akshaya Patra makes sure that food is warm and safe when served to children is the most important part of the operations.

On the subject of replication, the commitment to Akshaya Patra Mission is such that it shares its best practices and blue prints for kitchen designs with anyone who wants to duplicate the program. He said “The organisation will focus its operations in India, but is very keen to spread the word”.

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As we approach the end of a fiscal year, our prime issues revolve around those large income tax deductions that go from our salary. But we never think of ways to tackle this issue. However, by making an online donation to charity, we can direct funds for good use and achieve a higher satisfaction. We need not step out of our office or residence to make a donation to NGO. We can make one just by a click.

Why should we make an online donation to charity? Many of the NGOs in India are registered under section 35AC of the Income Tax Act, 1961. This enables donors to avail for 100 per cent tax exemption on the amount that they donate to NGOs. And what better way than to save your income tax deductions for children? Of the 400 million children residing in India, every second child is malnourished according to facts recorded by Child Rights and You (CRY). About 47 out of 1000 newly born children die before their first birthday. The same source has also recorded that the Maternal Mortality Rate in India is still an alarming number.

One of the best ways to contribute towards tackling this issue is to support those NGOs who work to uplift the economically disadvantaged sections of our society. A single online donation to NGO that works for underserved children will make a world of difference to an entire family. There are various ways in which we can make online donation to charity. Apart from directly donating funds, we can channel our contributions through events organised to raise funds.

When you make an online donation to NGO, you are directing your taxable amount to a cause close to your heart. If you claim this on your tax deduction, you feel like a responsible person. When we see homeless kids on the street, we always feel for them and talk about how we want to do something to uplift their lives. Oftentimes, not many of us get the opportunity to enter the system that runs the country and make these alterations for the benefit of the poor. One way to support the progress of the society is making monetary contributions to NGOs.

Various NGOs like The Akshaya Patra Foundation work for children. The government has made certain amendments in favour of both— underprivileged children and the public. The NGOs registered under section 35AC of the Income Tax Act are entitled to grant their donors, income tax deductions under section 80G of the Act. The Akshaya Patra Foundation also provides tax exemption certificates to its donors. These certificates can be produced to get tax returns. Thus, by saving on your income tax deductions for children, you can achieve your dreams while building those of an underserved child.

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The Akshaya Patra Foundation awards’ list has been made even more perceptible by Indizen 2014 – 5th National Convention on Operational Excellence by Kaizen Institute of India (KII) as the organisation was awarded in the category of 'Continued Commitment to Operational Excellence'. Not among the Indian NGO awards, this recognition was in the light of pursuing operational techniques like LEAN, Kaizen, TPM and other approaches, that leads to improved performance. This recognition was added to awards of Akshaya Patra through a case study contest.

Apart from the children charity awards, Akshaya Patra has been receiving many accolades. The organisation is usually awarded for its transparency, social responsibility and operational excellence. For this particular Akshaya Patra Foundation awards, the organization had submitted its six sigma project – ‘Optimization of Cooking Gas Cost’ conducted in its Surat kitchen. The goal of the project was “to reduce cooking gas cost by 10%”. This addition to awards of Akshaya Patra is justified by the whooping 63% cost saving achieved by the project.

The award is not placed in the category of Indian NGO awards, as the project completely focused on operations. The consumption of gas against the production of rotis was captured throughout the project. The reduction in the levels of gas consumption lead to success of this Six Sigma project. Akshaya Patra has been receiving many children charity awards and Indian NGO awards. Addition of Indizen 2014, has highlighted the organisation’s ability achieve new feats.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation awards list is augmented by this project. As the project yielded tangible and important benefits. Apart from saving gas, it also lead to reduced wastage and optimum utilisation of resources such as man power and time. It was duly recognised for the efforts. And we thank Indizen for this addition to awards of Akshaya Patra.

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Akshaya Patra held its annual Boston Gala at Cambridge, Massachusetts this year. The event was flooded by representatives from the US Government, Non – Profit Organisations, business entities and philanthropic leaders. In order to raise funds to feed hungry children, the event mainly aimed at supporting the organisations’ dual mission of addressing classroom hunger and promotion of education among economically disadvantaged children of India.

The Akshaya Patra Boston event started with a speech by US Congressman, Joseph Kennedy III (D-MA) of Massachusetts (4th Congressional District). He addressed the gathering with key focus on classroom hunger and education for economically disadvantaged children and shared that to feed hungry children at a great scale cannot be achieved without Public Private Partnership. He also added that a non-profit organisation like Akshaya Patra is a model of cooperation and scale, better than any other in the world which was justified by the organisation’ achievements.

Emily Rosenbaum, CEO, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, USA; shared her experience while travelling in India. She also threw light on important facts about the non – profit organisation, The Akshaya Patra Foundation and its efforts to feed hungry children.

Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014 was also interviewed on this occasion by celebrity host Dr Manju Sheth, of ‘chai with Manju’, India New England publication; during the gala held by the non-profit organisation. She shared her experiences as Miss America and of her travels.

“Desh” Deshpande, Board Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation gave the welcome address and led the fundraising event with aim to feed hungry children. A performance by Neena Gulati added a niche to the Gala. The Non-Profit Organisation received an overwhelming support from the audience. Boston Benefit 2014 aided to contribution of $595,000 to the cause of the organisation.

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After The Akshaya Patra Foundation conducted successful first and second phase trainings of the cook-cum-helpers of Mid-Day Meal Programme, in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resources and Development (MHRD), in March 2014 the third phase has commenced. To impart knowledge from the Akshaya Patra centralised kitchens and Akshaya Patra decentralised kitchens, this phase expects to cover about 900 cook-cum-helpers. The first two phases of imparting knowledge of Akshaya Patra Kitchens; over 1100 cook-cum-helpers were trained.

The third phase saw The Akshaya Patra Foundation training of 400 cook-cum-helpers of Mid-Day Meals Programme from Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. During the months of April and May learning of Akshaya Patra centralised kitchens and Akshaya Patra de centralised kitchens will be imparted through training in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.

Training modules prepared, taking cues from Akshaya Patra Kitchens, has been further modified, by incorporating The Akshaya Patra Foundation learning from the first two phases. The modules are designed in easy understandable format using pictorial representations to encourage comprehensive learning among the participating cook-cum-helpers of Mid-Day Meal Programme. The participants will have an opportunity to internalise the various hygiene and food safety practices like that of in Akshaya Patra centralised kitchens and Akshaya Patra decentralised kitchens.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation has also developed training materials and a handbook with pictorial depictions on food safety, personal hygiene and quality practises, emphasising its importance to cook-cum-helpers of Mid-Day Meal Programme.

A Ch Marak, Director of School Education and Literacy, Meghalaya appreciated the efforts of the organisation for its sincerity and commitment for making the training of the practices in Akshaya Patra centralised kitchens and Akshaya Patra de centralised kitchens, a success by imparting that knowledge to the participating cook-cum-helpers of Mid-Day Meals Programme.

TheAkshaya Patra Foundation was set up as a charity to help children in India. With millions of starving children in the country, Akshaya Patra aims to provide ‘Food for Education’ to fulfil the vision that no child shall be deprived of education because of hunger. For many people who want to help the children charity is the best option. Donation for charity in support of causes is convenient, effective and makes a huge difference too.

This charity to help children provides the mid-day meals at government schools, ensuring that children receive healthy, nutritious food at least once a day. By running 22 kitchens across the country, with feeding figures of over 1.3 million children every school day, across 10,631 government schools, this NGO sustains itself on donation for charity. For those that want to help the children charity organisations like Akshaya Patra provide effective, sustainable and transparent methods of contributing.

In order to help the children charity options like donations, fundraising, and volunteering, both online and offline are used. To make a donation for charity, one can simply transfer the amount he/she would like to share, or organise events from your home, school or community. This charity to help children also welcomes all the help it can get. Volunteering with Akshaya Patra is a very fulfilling experience, filled with visits to schools, kitchens and loads of interaction with well-wishers.

This charity to help children passed a huge milestone in August 2012, when it served its billionth meal. The organisation has now turned its attention to fulfilling its mission of feeding 5 million children by 2020. A donation for charity to this organisation will make a huge difference towards helping the Foundation get closer to fulfilling its mission. In India, where hunger and poverty are rampant, in order to help the children charity organisations are crucial to help improve the system and alleviate their suffering.

Safety and quality are of the utmost importance at this charity to help children. Intent on providing a means to eradicate the rampant malnutrition plaguing many of India’s young ones, this organisation ensures that all its kitchens comply with Food Safety Management Systems and frequent quality checks. A donation for charity such as this would be a great investment not only for the contributor, but for the future of the country. To provide an additional incentive to help the children charity organisations including Akshaya Patra provide a 100 per cent tax benefit on all contributions exceeding Rs 500/-

By providing the mid-day meals, this charity to help children also gives them a reason to attend school. This programme has had huge impact in helping to increase school enrolment, attendance, classroom concentration, peer socialization and reduce dropout rates. A donation for charity like Akshaya Patra will help keep this trend going and improve it in the future. To help the children charity in the form of donations and volunteering are most welcome.

Akshaya Patra- the NGO for children

ICAI Award Gold for Akshaya Patra Annual Report

Mid-day meal programme for school children

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Akshaya Patra striving towards excellence in feeding children

Help educate children by providing mid-day meal

Akshaya Patra kitchens cooking up hygienic mid-day meals

Save tax by donating towards mid-day meal

Akshaya Patra charity in Andhra Pradesh feeds 60,098 children every day

Corporate Social Responsibility with Akshaya Patra aids for new expansion

Akshaya Patra, children’s nonprofit organisation serves ‘Food for Education’

Tax deduction on donations - a win-win for the donor and beneficiary

Akshaya Patra tirelessly works to help children in India

Watch Akshaya Patra CNN-IBN coverage on 'Innovating for a Better Tomorrow'

Desh Deshpande Raises awareness on Akshaya Patra Mission

Redeem your deductions for a noble cause- through online donation to charity

Indizen 2014, added to the list of Awards of Akshaya Patra

Star-Studded Boston Event held by Akshaya Patra, an exclusive.

Workshops on food safety, personal hygiene and quality for cook-cum-helpers of Mid-Day Meal Programme

Feed the young – Engage with Akshaya Patra