CM Dr. Yadav : Akshaya Patra Foundation is serving new life to school children with nutritious food
- Chief Minister flags off food distribution vehicles
CM Dr. Yadav has said that the primary source of essential nutrients for the body is diet, and the purity of diet amplifies its significance. He stated that the importance of dietary purity was emphasized by Lord Krishna in the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, where he explained that purity of thought is only possible through pure food. The Chief Minister praised the work of Akshaya Patra Foundation, stating that it is serving a new life to schoolchildren by providing them with nutritious meals. He also noted that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam had both praised the midday meal programme run by the Akshaya Patra Foundation, which supports education through ample food distribution.
CM Dr. Yadav attended a programme under the Prime Minister’s Nutrition Power Construction Scheme, where more than one crore mid-day meals were distributed in the urban areas of Bhopal. The event was organised by the Akshaya Patra Foundation at its premises in Rohit Nagar. The Chief Minister inaugurated the programme by lighting a lamp and flagged off food distribution vehicles. Additionally, he distributed midday meals to 10 school children symbolically. He was welcomed with a shawl and a memento.
CM participates in food making process and its distribution
CM Dr. Yadav also visited the centralised kitchen of the Akshaya Patra Foundation, where he witnessed the automated process of meal preparation and participated in making dal-roti. He explained that under the Prime Minister’s Nutrition Power Construction Scheme, mid-day meals for government schools in Bhopal are supplied from this centralised kitchen. The event was attended by Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Shri Prahlad Patel, Transport and School Education Minister Shri Uday Pratap Singh, and Panchayat and Rural Development State Minister Mrs. Radha Singh. A short film showcasing the activities of the Akshaya Patra Foundation was also screened during the event.
Pure, nutritious mid-day meal being supplied to 645 Bhopal schools
CM Dr. Yadav further mentioned that the Akshaya Patra Foundation, with a team of 76 employees and 38 vehicles, is providing pure, nutritious, and quality mid-day meals to 645 schools in Bhopal. He expressed amazement at the mechanised processes used to prepare 40,000 rotis simultaneously, and to cook dal and vegetables. He emphasised that the process of making food through the medium of saints fosters a sense of purity, and that the Foundation’s mission will help in the creation of a healthier society with a pure mentality in the future.
On this occasion, CM Dr. Yadav also greeted Shri Ravi Jhunjhunwala, Chairman and Managing Director of HEG Limited, Padmashri Madhu Pandit Dasa, Founder and Chairman of Akshaya Patra Foundation and Shri Acharya Ratan Dasa, President of the Bhopal Cluster, along with all the collaborators and employees of the Foundation for their noble service.
Panchayat and Rural Development Minister address gathering
Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, while addressing the gathering, said that the Akshaya Patra Foundation is providing students with nutritious and delicious food in schools. He said that the Foundation’s approach of offering food based on the children’s preferences is helping to keep them engaged and enrolled in schools.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation’s programme not only provides children with nutritious food but also plays a significant role in their health and mental development. Through this initiative, a positive transformation in the field of education is being made, taking a concrete step towards improving the overall well-being of children.