Contribute online to the nation’s progress this Republic Day

Indian Republic Day, celebrated on 26th January every year, is a moment of pride for all Indians. On this day in the year 1950, the Constitution of India came into effect, and our nation was declared a republic. This day reflects the Preamble, which states ‘equality’ as one of its objectives, along with justice, liberty and fraternity.

This special occasion every year reiterates the inclusive progress of all Indians, the fundamental rights of a citizen and everyone’s responsibility to uphold these values for our nation’s progress.

Certainly, we have come a long way in 73 years. Because of our innumerable achievements, India is now considered one of the most influential countries in the world. Additionally, to further the motives of democracy, we also follow a system of equal rights and opportunities for everyone without discrimination against any section of our society.

The role NGOs in India play

To reach remote corners and improve the living conditions of ‘less provided for’ sections of our population, the Indian Government and the NGOs have been at work for seven decades.

One such Government-backed non-profit entity is our 22-year-old NGO, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, which has been nourishing children who have little to no access to nutritious meals.

Over the years, we have also been able to support homeless mothers, nursing mothers, pregnant women and disaster victims because of undying support from our donors. Yet, our prime focus remains the Mid-Day Meal Programme (now known as PM Poshan Abhiyaan) that continues to impact the lives of Government school children every single day.

• It boosts academic learning and performance in co-curricular activities such as sports, supporting their holistic development.
• It motivates children’s parents to send them to school regularly, as they are confident that their children will receive the right nutrition every day.
• It improves regularity in attendance and reduces the drop-out rate.
• It builds confidence, compassion and knowledge in children when they socialise with those from different communities while having mid-day meals.
• It eliminates deficiencies in children and empowers women through employment.

We are currently feeding 20,10,516 (2 million) children in 22,367 Government and Government-aided schools every day and have served 24 crore meals so far! We make all our meals in 65 kitchens, following international standards of hygiene and quality, in 14 states and 2 union territories across India.

Support high-quality food for children this Republic Day

Every child is a repository of talents, skills, dedication and aspirations. They are the future decision-makers of India. They only need enough opportunities and high-quality nourishment, daily, to reach their highest potential.

So, let’s continue to ensure that every child is at school so that they grow up into empowered citizens of the country. You can impact their lives by donating to charity, starting a fundraiser or becoming a CSR partner.

Support Akshaya Patra for India’s bright future this Republic Day.

Donate and save tax!

Give a chance to empowering children. Save tax

Receiving money in your account each month is incredibly comforting, but preparing income tax forms yearly is a tremendous hassle! Although it is fairly significant and required to file your returns on a regular basis if you have annual income greater than 5 lakhs, income tax returns may not be as exciting.

But if your annual income exceeds 5 lakhs, it is mandatory that you file your returns on time! Under Section 80G of the Income-tax Act of 1961, donations made to recognised charity organisations are eligible for tax exemptions.

When you file your income tax return, you can deduct the charitable contributions or donations you made during the specified fiscal year under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act of 1961. You will have lower tax obligations as a result of falling into a lower tax bracket. When you file an ITR for a particular number of charities, one of the special aspects of Section 80G is that there is no upper limit on the amount of your tax-deductible donation.

Terms and Conditions

You must adhere to a few requirements in order to claim tax deductions under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act. These are the first three of them:

• For contributions made in cash that are worth more than Rs 2000, you cannot receive a tax deduction.
• The contributions are not eligible for tax deductions under this provision if they are made in kind.
• Contributions given to trusts that are registered outside of India are not allowed to be deducted from taxes under this section.

Method of Payment to gain Section 80G benefits

Only contributions made in cash, by cheque, or by draft are eligible for the deductions allowed under Section 80G of the Internal Revenue Code. You cannot claim a deduction under this section if the donation is paid in-kind. The deduction calculation under Section 80G does not take cash donations over Rs 2000 into account. Therefore, you must donate more than Rs 2000 online to be eligible for this deduction.

Section 80G tax deductions

The following categories are allowed for deductions for donations under Section 80G of the IT Act:

• Donations with no upper limit: Depending on the charity organisation where the gift was made, 50% or 100% of the total donation is deductible, without any further restrictions.
  
• Donations with an upper limit: Depending on the charity organisation receiving the money, 50% or 100% of the entire donation may be tax-deductible. You should be aware that the amount that can be removed; in this case it is 10% of your gross annual income.

Akshaya Patra and Section 80G

Since 2000, Akshaya Patra has been providing Government school children with mid-day meals. The NGO in India is an implementing partner of the Mid-Day Meal Programme (now known as PM Poshan Abhiyaan).

You can gain 50% tax exemption on your donation to Akshaya Patra as an individual or corporation when you file your income tax return. The Foundation is registered as a not-for-profit organisation under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 (Reg. No. 154) and under Section 12A (a) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. So, contribute towards feeding over 2 million children every day and help children pursue their dreams. Donate and save tax!

Akshaya Patra steers closer to its vision; hits a new milestone

Akshaya Patra now delivers 2 MILLION smiles DAILY!

The esteemed 21-year-old NGO in India achieved its new feeding landmark in September, nourishing 2 million children daily! It includes children receiving food under the Midday Meal Scheme (MDM) and the Anganwadi Feeding Programme that nourishes nursing mothers along with their infants.

In the past, Akshaya Patra has been instrumental in bringing policy reforms around the Midday Meal Scheme (MDM)(now the PM Poshan Abhiyaan) and improving the nutritional value for its beneficiaries. Studies suggest that regular mid-day meal consumption reduced the chances of children being underweight and obese. It enhanced their chances of being in the average weight and overweight category along with being from short to normal in height. They also became healthier and less susceptible to anaemia, fever, diarrhoea and cough.

But with the pandemic making matters worse for underprivileged families in India, there was an immediate need to uplift them socioeconomically and bring their children back to school. Therefore, the organisation launched new initiatives in the year 2022 to reach, nourish and support more marginalised people across the country.

Akshaya Patra’s reach with new initiatives

1) Inauguration of 4 new kitchens

Akshaya Patra inaugurated four new kitchens in the first few months of 2022:

• 62^nd kitchen in Varanasi, Gujarat: feeds over 100,000 children in 282 schools
• 63^rd kitchen in Dehradun, Uttarakhand: feeds over 11,900 children in 132 schools
• 64^th kitchen in Mansa, Gujarat: feeds over 26,000 children in 190 schools
• 65^th kitchen in Jorhat, Assam: feeds over 10,070 children in 156 schools

Contributions from generous donors like The Hans Foundation and the IndusInd Bank made these kitchen constructions possible. Many delegates, including Shri Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India and Shri Amit Shah, the Home Minister of India, attended the inaugurations and pledged their support for the NGO’s endeavours.

2) Breakfast Feeding Programme

A review of studies around providing free school breakfast proved that it ensures adequate nutrition and energy in children to attend daily classes with improved concentration and interest. They come to school regularly, cultivate good behaviour and show improved academic performance. It also reduces expenditure in lower-income households, giving them the incentive to send their children to schools. Also, students who skip breakfast show increased errors and have slower memory recall. 

Therefore, a well-designed, hygienic and nutritious diet would help children—and the Indian population in the long run—to recover from widespread undernourishment. Keeping this in mind, Akshaya Patra started serving breakfast in addition to mid-day meals in Government schools.

3) Millets in mid-day meals of Government school children

To improve nutrition for children as part of the PM Poshan Abhiyaan, Akshaya Patra signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nutrihub, the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) and the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) in August. It aims to introduce millets in the meals for Government school children in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and eventually, across the country.

Millets are proven to have five times higher nutritional content when compared with rice and wheat. They will digest well, strengthen the nervous system, reduce cholesterol, prevent heart disease, protect against diabetes, lower cancer risks, increase energy levels and nourish the muscular system in millions of underprivileged children in India, thus boosting their physical and mental health.

These small-grained cereal crops are also rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fibre, medicinal properties, iron, zinc, calcium, niacin, B6, folic acid, potassium, phosphorous and magnesium, which are essential to curb the problem of malnutrition in India.

Furthermore, millets are native to India. They can be grown in low fertile soils with low inputs of fertilisers and pesticides, adding to the nation’s sustainable food-growing practices.

4) Sustainable food production methods

The programmes run by Akshaya Patra directly impact the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7, which are also the priority of the Indian Government.

Its kitchens are known worldwide for following advanced manufacturing practices and international standards of hygiene and quality, thus ensuring that the most nutritious meals reach the beneficiaries.

Now, with the new state-of-the-art kitchens, the NGO in India proves its constant efforts to integrate sustainability into its food production processes. They use solar panels for electricity generation with a heat pump and solar water heater to boil water.

Towards a sustainable future of India

The new model of the PM Poshan Abhiyaan will also allow the children to grow their own food and kitchens will source raw materials locally, thus making the mid-day meal ecosystem more self-reliant, organic and sustainable. With regular checks on each child’s nutrition levels by experts, children will recover from learning and nutrient loss more quickly. But all this is possible only with consistent support from donors!

When ₹2500 can support a child with breakfast, lunch and education for an academic year, why can each one of us not donate the minimum we can?

So, let’s end the wait and endless discussion on problems. Let’s bring health, education and opportunities to millions of underprivileged children with a few clicks online!

Our online donations can shape India’s future. Let’s contribute.

Akshaya Patra reaches a new milestone; nourishes 2 MILLION dreams daily!

The world recognises India as a country of great economic and cultural importance. In recent years, there has also been a growing consensus that our country will be pivotal in driving global growth.

As our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi said “when India grows, the world grows; when India reforms, the world transforms.”

Today, we are also one of the leading nations to adopt massive sustainable development practices such as minimising carbon footprint and uplifting millions of our citizens from the grips of insufficiency and vulnerability.

When the whole world has placed its trust in our nation, it’s time we at Akshaya Patra—an esteemed NGO in India—pulled up our sleeves to support Government endeavours and nurture the dreams of our underprivileged but talented citizens.

And so we did!

Now Akshaya Patra reaches 65 locations, nourishing over 2 million (20,10,516) children in 22,367 schools across India every day of the year.

It includes feeding children under the Anganwadi Programme and the PM Poshan Abhiyaan (formerly known as the Midday Meal Scheme [mdm]).

There’s more to celebrate!

The year 2022 has been special with the inauguration of our new kitchens and hitting the new feeding milestone with online donations from our compassionate supporters.

“Feeding 3 million children by 2025” will be a reality soon.

Moreover, the new model of the Midday Meal Scheme (MDM) as the PM Poshan Abhiyaan will give better development opportunities for underprivileged people.

• When children grow their own food, they will simultaneously take steps to be self-reliable.
• When we source raw materials locally for school meals, we will empower the farmers and other workers of the region.
• When experts regularly check every child’s nutrition levels, the children will grow up healthy without deficiencies and chronic diseases.

Our NGO in India is also taking initiatives to further improve nutrition in the meals we serve and make our cooking processes more sustainable. Some of such initiatives are:

• Introduction of millets in school meals

Millets are small-grained cereal food crops with five times higher nutritional content when compared with rice and wheat. They are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fibre, medicinal properties, iron, zinc, calcium and other nutrients that are essential for curbing the problem of malnutrition in India.

Moreover, they have a higher content of niacin, B6, folic acid, potassium, phosphorous and magnesium which will help us include more micronutrients in the food we serve. They are also easy to digest and known for strengthening the nervous system.

Therefore, adding millets to school meals will help enhance the digestion process, reduce cholesterol, prevent heart disease, protect against diabetes, lower cancer risks, increase energy levels and improve the muscular system in millions of underprivileged children in India.

Finally, since these crops are native to India and can be grown in low fertile soils with low inputs of fertilisers and pesticides, they also prove to be an integral part of sustainable food-growing practices.

Hence, we have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nutrihub, the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) and the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) to introduce millets in the mid-day meal menu for children in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and eventually, across the country.

• Building sustainable kitchen infrastructure

Our kitchens are known worldwide for following advanced manufacturing practices and international standards of hygiene and quality, thus ensuring that the most nutritious meals reach our beneficiaries.

Now with our new kitchens, we constantly put efforts to integrate sustainability with our state-of-the-art kitchens. For instance, we use solar panels for electricity production with a heat pump and solar water heater to boil water during food production. 

Final Thoughts

As we approach the end of the year, let’s pledge to strive harder in the coming year keeping in mind our ultimate goals of empowering the marginalised.

Let’s reach every corner of our nation where the underserved communities await a helping hand and a secure life!

Experience the Joy of Giving this Daan Utsav

Atithi Devo Bhava is a practice in Indian society where a guest is treated with the utmost respect. The hosts provide them with the best experience while they spend time with each other, by offering them food, clothes, etc. It is a form of social service that has existed since ancient times. Giving is considered to be auspicious and people are also aware of the bliss that comes with being helpful to others’ needs.

To continue the age-old tradition of giving to the underprivileged or people who need some form of help, Daan Utsav is observed from 2-8 October every year. This week has been celebrated since the time it was first started in 2009 and was called the Joy of Giving week. It is a perfect time to fill someone’s life with loads of happiness and get content in return for doing good for the underprivileged. It is a week of enthusiasm where people from all walks of life come together for a single cause – GIVING.

Daan Utsav is celebrated in many places across India like Bhuj, Sancoale, Aluva, Mysuru, Imphal, Jammu and Sukma.

What Daan Utsav for different people

Individuals, corporates, the Government, non-profit organisations, institutions, volunteers, communities and the general public. To raise awareness about this week, celebrities also join hands with one or the other NGO in India and take out time to play, dance and sing with people from challenging backgrounds during press releases, inaugurations, book launches, school annual functions, association parties, etc.

No matter who it is, life is all about giving and even domestic workers, street vendors and washerwomen give when they have or receive. Nobody wants to get left behind, everyone wants to receive the endless joy of giving. So is the case with school children too. Donation campaigns are conducted in schools where they bring old books, stationeries, etc.

There is no better time to turn your kindness into actions of donating resources, money, time, food or time or skills to the have-nots, than this festival of philanthropy!

Donate to NGOs on Daan Utsav

During Daan Utsav, NGOs conduct collection camps, on various events that:

• organise therapies for children with special needs
• train youth to get skill-based jobs
• raise funds to train unemployed people
• feed the hungry and malnourished people
• bring various opportunities in all fields to marginalised communities.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a trusted NGO in India that has been serving nutritious meals to school children coming from low-income sections for the last 21 years. What started off with a kitchen that fed 1,500 children in Bengaluru, is now 65 kitchens strong that feeds close to 2 million children every day. Apart from its flagship programme that will feed the hungry school children in Government schools, it also takes care of the nutrition of pregnant and lactating mothers as nutrition is of utmost importance during the early years of child development.

Apart from running the Anganwadi Programme, the Foundation runs other programmes that you can support this Daan Utsav.

PM Poshan Abhiyaan

To eliminate classroom hunger, help children focus and cater to their nutritional requirements, Akshaya Patra implements the school feeding programme under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN Abhiyaan, formerly known as the Mid-Day Meal Programme).

Anganwadi Feeding Programme

Akshaya Patra provides adequate nutrition to nursing and would-be mothers so that they and their children are well nourished right during the early days of life. Under this programme, children under the age group of 6 years get daily nourishment in the form of meals.

Homeless Mothers Feeding Programme

Homeless mothers are wives or mothers who have lost their husbands and are not living with their families; they are either abandoned by their first circle or by their children and do not have a place to live. Akshaya Patra’s Homeless Mothers Feeding Programme provides meals to these women who are trying to make ends meet. The programme is currently active in Vrindavan.

Breakfast Programme

The Indian Medical Association and the Indian Academy of Pediatrics have advocated for a free breakfast programme where students will be provided with a healthy breakfast each school day. Akshaya Patra’s pilot Breakfast Programme was initiated in Hosur, Tamil Nadu in 2017. The breakfast offered in school acts as an incentive for children to enrol and attend regularly.

Your contribution matters

Become a part of Akshaya Patra’s donor family by choosing to support a programme of your choice. Donate online to make a difference in the lives of people in need.

This Daan Utsav, pull someone out of distress.
Set an example with your generosity.
Lift the lives of underprivileged people.

Effects of hunger on children. Beat it by donating to charities

When you think of hunger, your mind immediately paints a black and white picture of a child probably in tattered clothes scurrying for food here and there.

Sadly, this is true and very uncomfortable.

India is home to 33 lakh undernourished children, out of which 17.7 lakh of them are severely malnourished.

For most of us, hunger is only about skipping a meal. But, in reality, hunger is much more than a missed meal and grumbling stomach.

Hunger is a vicious cycle that only makes room for hungrier children and it is unending.

What happens when a child is hungry for a long term?

If a child is hungry, depending on the stage of hunger, h/she is categorised as suffering from:

• Acute hunger
• Chronic hunger
• Hidden hunger

Acute hunger is when a child is undernourished for a definable time, for example, during wars and disasters. Chronic hunger is a form of hunger that is associated with poverty where they lack sufficient funds for healthy food. Hidden hunger is a form of hunger that results from an unbalanced diet where initially, the symptoms are not identifiable but in the long-term lead to nutritional deficiencies and illnesses.

Apart from these physical deficiencies and illnesses, children who stay hungry for a long time suffer from mental incapability like forgetfulness, decreased attention span and inability to remember long term memories, resulting in decreased academic scores.

Make charity donations to defeat hunger in children

NGOs target the grass root levels to eradicate all forms of hunger – acute, chronic and hidden. Some of them even go back to nourishing the mother who carries children – pregnant, nursing and new mothers.

Donating to these NGOs to nourish mothers and their children also makes you eligible to gain tax deductions.

Your tax deductible donations are either eligible for 50% or 100% tax exemption depending on the registration of the non-profit organisation.

Every charity wants to be the best NGO to donate to because the cause they fight for is so genuine. Also, the impact that donors’ contribution has on the beneficiaries is truly appreciable. Here is a story of a young school child who has beaten the ill effects of malnourishment.

Sachin, a Class 6 student at Hanspal Primary School, dreams of becoming a pilot. He suffered from malnutrition and stunting during his initial days of school. He was never able to focus in class and was weak and lifeless. But after getting regular meals at school, he blossomed into an attentive student who performed well and is a favourite of all the teachers.

Beating all the forms of hunger, he says his school lunch has changed him inside out. Adding to it, he says he prefers school meals to the food he gets to eat at home.

Sachin is a mid-day meal beneficiary of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO in India that serves nutritious meals every day. It has the distinction of being the world’s largest NGO-run school lunch programme, serving freshly cooked nutritious meals to over 1.8 million children in 19,039 schools in 14 states and 2 union territories.

Make charity donations to this organisation to end classroom hunger in children studying in Government and Government-aided schools. Your tax deductible donations support food and education of children whose parents cannot afford one square meal a day. Help many more children like Sachin, to break the unending cycle of hunger by feeding them with Akshaya Patra.

This September, Stand Against Hunger

We are lucky!

We get to choose what we want to eat and when.

But, for individuals coming from families where being hungry and not getting food is a norm, they must decide whether they can afford to eat or not.

For such people, it is a tough choice to make between, food, electricity, water, medicine, education and other needs.

“Nobody should be forced to make a choice to go hungry,”
– Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America

The whole month of September is celebrated as Hunger Action Month, where people across the world come together to support a movement to end hunger in all forms. With public and Government support, we can achieve unachievable tasks like helping these disadvantaged communities achieve long-term security so that they don’t have to choose between food and other things.

Feed to defeat hunger and all its forms

Over 828 million people suffer from various forms of hunger. Food is a human right, but, does every individual have the access to good food? The answer is NO! They suffer from hunger in either of the levels detailed below:

Acute Hunger

Acute hunger is a condition when a person is undernourished over a definable. This is an extreme form of hunger that arises during crises like the pandemic, wars, disasters, etc. This form of hunger generally affects people who already suffer from chronic hunger.

Chronic Hunger

Chronic hunger is a state of long-term undernourishment. This form of hunger is generally associated with a lack of sufficient funds for healthy and clean food along with water and/or healthcare. This form of hunger is not condition-specific but is the most widespread form of hunger across the globe as it is linked with poverty.

Hidden Hunger

Hidden hunger is a form of chronic hunger that is a result of an unbalanced diet, where important nutrients like zinc, iron, iodine and vitamins are not present in the food consumed. Initially, these findings are not visible at first glance, however, over a long period, these nutrient deficiencies lead to long-term illnesses.

This Hunger Action Month, feed the needy people with an NGO in India that takes care of all the nutritional requirements of an individual, be it an infant, toddler, teenager or adult.

Hunger and Poverty – A vicious circle

Feedunderprivileged people, so that they know the importance of food, get educated in order to earn and fend for themselves and their families so that they can get good and healthy food to eat. It is an unending circle that can be broken only by wholesome meals.

Feed to defeat hunger with Akshaya Patra

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO in India that has dedicated itself to feeding wholesome meals to school children coming from underprivileged backgrounds and studying in Government and Government-aided schools of India. By working in partnership with various Governments, District Authorities, volunteers and its donor family, the organisation has been actively involved in various feeding initiatives since 2000.

During this Hunger Action Month, Akshaya Patra has taken to feeding mid-day meal beneficiaries under the PM POSHAN Abhiyaan, homeless mothers, people living in night shelters, expecting and nursing mothers and disaster-struck victims who are affected by floods, earthquakes, pandemics, etc.

Donate online to show your humanitarian side with your generosity to feed people.

This September, let’s make food accessible to everyone. Together, we can make Zero Hunger possible by feeding to eliminate all forms of hunger.

NGOs – A critical link for social change

Drive around the city and you may see people living completely different lives on the roadside—people with no qualms in tattered clothes, tents with holes, discoloured hair and undernourished bodies. 

The Government frequently releases schemes and programmes for their welfare. The problem lies in their reach into remote areas and their ground-level execution.

Ever wondered what created the gap in the first place? 
Do they not deserve access to resources just because they are born into low-income families?
Is there anyone listening to their calls for help?

Let’s look at the phenomenon of globalisation and the idea of development to answer these questions. 

Industrialisation, Urbanisation and Globalisation

The 19th century saw tremendous advances in transportation and communication. The resulting Industrial Revolution eased trade across borders. Businesses reached new heights by expanding their supply chains internationally. It allowed them to amass incredible amounts of wealth and strengthen the economic positions of their countries.

Eventually, corporations and the better-off sections of the population went further up the economic ladder while the marginalised were exploited for labour. Subsequently, they lost access to basic rights and resources, thus widening the gap between the wealthy and the disadvantaged even further.

With such fast-paced industrial progress, even our natural environment began suffering, resulting in the mass destruction of both, flora and fauna. Pollution and depletion of resources questioned the future of upcoming generations and the misuse of capital by a small privileged section of humanity.

The Dawn of Realisation

Around the late 20th century, a conscious of equality for all grew. The idea of development gradually changed from urbanisation and exploitation to sustainable development. People started caring not only for all of humanity but also for the wildlife we took for granted till now. The focus diverted to working for environmental protection and guarding the rights of those who remained suppressed for decades. 

Subsequently, NGOs sprung up to accomplish the global aims of “ending poverty, protecting the planet and improving the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere.”

NGOs – Heroes of the Modern World

Non-Government Organisations or NGOs are voluntary citizen groups that emerged around 40 years ago. Ever since, they have been crucial to 

• advocate welfare and humanitarian assistance
• create awareness about ongoing problems and change the outlook of society
• check on activities of the Government and private entities 
• research, plan, mobilise people and work with local authorities for the execution of welfare schemes at the grassroots level
• collaborate at local, national and international levels

One of the most notable characteristics of NGOs is acting consistently for long-term results. That is why there are many established NGOs in India that the Government recognises as its implementing partners today.

Corporate Social Responsibility

In April 2014, India became the first country to make Corporate Social Responsibility mandatory. Hence, the growing need for businesses to undertake CSR initiatives further boosted NGO activities in the country. They either sent employee groups to volunteer at NGOs in India or donate a portion of their profits to fund welfare programmes. In any case, this significantly boosted people’s participation in social change.

Tax Exemption

The Central Governments made provisions for people to motivate them to donate. For instance, a section under the Income Tax Act provided a percentage of tax exemption if citizens donated to organisations qualifying under the act. In India, you can avail 50% or 100% tax exemption under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act by donating to a charitable organisation. 

Technology and NGOs

NGOs today are not what you may imagine as dull spaces with activists shouting slogans. They are well-versed with the latest technology and their use for the causes they support.

For instance, NGOs like Akshaya Patra, have been using hi-tech cooking mechanisms for 21 years to produce fresh meals for children while avoiding human touch. For the Akshaya Patra initiatives, they not only ensure hygiene while cooking but also produce huge amounts of fresh food for children.

Moreover, the kitchens adhere to Food Safety Management Systems which include sterilising all the cooking equipment with steam before preparing meals. They use food-safe SS 304 Grade vessels, conduct frequent training with the cooks and supervisors to ensure food hygiene, undertake pest control measures and check ‘Critical Control Points’ like cooking temperature etc.

Donate to NGOs

Since NGOs do not work for profit, they depend on backing from the Government and donors. One can contribute through online donations, fundraising campaigns or even volunteer with them online or offline.

This is true with Akshaya Patra as well. They started by serving fresh, nutritious and hygienic mid-day meals to children of Government schools. But today, years of consistent support from the Government of India and their donor family, they started other programmes for underprivileged people such as Anganwadi Feeding, Disaster Relief feeding, Homeless Mothers Feeding and so on.

Now you can also be a part of their change-maker community. Donate online individually or start a campaign for any of the Akshaya Patra initiatives. When you support their flagship programme PM POSHAN Abhiyaan with a contribution of INR 1500, you will nourish a child for an entire academic year. Donate to feed the children from low-income and marginalised backgrounds
 for a healthy future of the nation.

Importance of Akshaya Patra’s Nutritious Food for Children

Most of the kids these days are generally hooked up on junk food.

As a result of which, children land up eating smaller portions of nutritious food.

Peer pressure, TV commercials, roadside eateries and fried food create battles between parents and their children.

Importance of nutrition in children

Ensuring that children eat a well-balanced diet is crucial for their growth and development. Children constantly grow at a rapid rate outgrowing their clothes. What fits them today may not fit in the next 1 month or so. So be prepared to keep investing in good food and some clothes.

Nutrition can also help in establishing a strong foundation for healthy eating habits. These habits inculcated at a very young age will most likely be carried on to the adulthood stage too. This means that if you teach your child to eat carrots over finger chips, this habit may last throughout their lifetime.

Eating nutritious food also has another long-term effect on children. It helps in building immunity and resistance to nutrition-related diseases that can kick in early in the adulthood stages of life. For example, eating fried food frequently results in high cholesterol levels during early adulthood leading to further complications.

Understanding the importance of healthy meals at a very young age, it was necessary to make healthy meals accessible to children of all walks of life. For children who are privileged, healthy meals are easily accessible.

But, what about children who come from challenging backgrounds?

Can they afford healthy meals?

Meals are a huge ask in itself, healthy meals are beyond their affordability.

Then what is their next possible solution?

For most parents, sending children to Government schools means free food for children in school. These meals become the reason why parents don’t mind sending their children to school rather than pushing them to work as a helping hand to their family’s financial situation.

To encourage more parents to send their children to school, the Government of India made provisions under the PM POSHAN Abhiyaan to serve nutritious mid-day meals to children.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO in India that implements the world’s largest school feeding programme.

Akshaya Patra is spread across 65 locations and caters to every day nutritional requirements of 1.8 million beneficiaries with mid-day meals. It caters to the local palates of children spread across 14 states and 2 union territories.

By providing unlimited food for education of children, this NGO in India supports the health and nutrition of children.

Children who initially do not value education, start coming to school to get education and realise the importance of studying and achieving. When they become regular at school, they feel that they too play an important in society.

Make an online donation to give wings to children, to make them realise that their dreams can come true too.

PM Narendra Modi Inaugurates Akshaya Patra’s 62nd kitchen in Varanasi

Food is a basic essential for the development of children.

Food and education always go hand in hand.

When a child is well fed and educated, s/he becomes able to pave his future.

Government’s intervention to feed children

NITI Aayog has identified certain districts of India with a high level of malnutrition. To support children in these areas and all over the nation, the Government of India started the PM Poshan Abhiyaan which was earlier known as the Mid-Day Meal Programme.

It was mandated in 2001 that every child studying in Government, Government-aided schools and Education Guarantee Scheme centres receive school meals as a part of this programme. The name of this Mid-Day Meal Scheme was changed to Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Scheme (PM POSHAN Abhiyaan) in September 2021. This programme has shown positive effects.

Parents who were not able to afford sending their child/ren to schools due to their financial constraints eagerly sent their children for the free nutritious food being supplied.

Benefits of mid-day meals

• Nourishes children
• Improves immunity
• Makes children regular to school
• Helps them focus
• Improves memory and retention rate

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO in India that is the implementer of the PM POSHAN scheme (formerly known as the Mid-Day Meal Programme) that benefits 1.8 million children studying in Government and Government-aided schools in 14 states and 2 union territories of India. With its decentralised and centralised kitchens spread across 63 locations, this NGO in India caters to the nutritional needs of children.

Akshaya Patra works under a Public Private Partnership model and has been running the school lunch programme for the last 21 years with strong support from the Government, donors and corporate partners.

Akshaya Patra inaugurates 62^nd kitchen

On 7 July 2022, the Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated The Akshaya Patra Foundation’s new kitchen in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. This is the fifth centralised kitchen in the state after Lucknow, Vrindavan, Gorakhpur and Mant.

Honourable Governor, Smt Anandiben Patel and Honourable Chief Minister, Shri Yogi Adityanath accompanied the Prime Minister. This kitchen was supported by Westbridge Capital. The event was presided by Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman – Akshaya Patra, and Shri Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice-Chairman.

This event was followed by a visit to the newest kitchen. The Prime Minister, Chief Minister and Governor along with other dignitaries were given a tour of the Akshaya Patra kitchen.

Details of the Akshaya Patra Kitchen in Varanasi

• Spread over an area of 3 acres
• Capacity to feed 1,00,000 children
• High standards of hygiene, food safety and quality
• Roti machine makes 40,000 rotis/hour
• 700-litre capacity rice cauldron with hydraulic system
• 1,200-litre capacity dal cauldron with automatic motors
• Reverse Osmosis plant for water purification
• Solar panels for electricity production
• Heat pump and solar water heater to boil water

Once all the dignitaries visited the kitchen facility, the Honourable Prime Minister gathered with children who showcased their talents by singing, dancing, reciting shlokas, performing yoga asanas, etc.

The Prime Minister also served meals to children to mark the day as a special one. And all the students who attended this event were presented with a memento as a token of appreciation.

For a majority of children coming from challenging backgrounds, mid-day meals are the only source of nutrition in a day. Support such children who need you by making an online donation. Your one contribution can change and transform the lives of children by giving them access to a better future.