The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an unprecedented crisis that has affected people from all walks of life. The vulnerable populations, in particular, are among the worst-hit as they face the threat of the Coronavirus on the one hand and the hunger pandemic on the other.

On 23 July 2021, The Akshaya Patra Foundation conducted an Incentivised Vaccination Drive-in Jogupalya, Bangalore, in association with Team MGK (M. Goutham Kumar) and vaccinated 500 people. After taking the vaccine shot, individuals received refreshments as well as a unique customized kit called ‘Raksha Kit’, containing essential groceries for 20 meal servings. These kits were distributed in the presence of the former Mayor of Bangalore, M. Goutham Kumar.

Other dignitaries present on the occasion were Dr. Sharanappa S.D., IPS – DCP East; Dr. Lakshminarayan Gundanna – Chairman BBMP and Domlur Corporator; B Gunaranjan Shetty – Founder of Jaya Karnataka Janapara Vedike and ICare Brigade.

Each Raksha Kit consists of one kg rice, one kg wheat flour, 500 gm tur dal, 500 gm desi channa, 500 gm green mung whole, 250 gm peanuts, 200 gm turmeric powder, one kg sugar, one kg salt, one liter refined oil and one bar soap. Apart from this, vaccinated people are provided with juice packets, water, and a banana/khichdi/pulav.

Earlier, on 19 July 2021, a similar drive was organized at Medi Agrahara, where 300 people were vaccinated and provided Raksha Kits. On 24 July 2021, vaccination drives are scheduled to be held at Rajajinagar and Mahalakshmi Layout, where 500 people each will be vaccinated, bringing the total number of beneficiaries of this initiative in Bangalore to 1,800. Speaking about the initiative, Mr. Sundeep Talwar, CMO – Akshaya Patra, said, “Many people, especially from vulnerable communities, such as slum dwellers and daily wagers, hesitate to take the vaccine due to misconceptions and resultant fear.

To address this vaccine hesitancy, we decided to initiate Incentivised Vaccination Drives where we educate people about the need to get vaccinated and also provide them ‘Raksha Kits’ as an incentive. We have so far vaccinated 800 people in Bangalore and plan to cover 100,000 across the country in the next 2-3 months.”
Incentivised Vaccination Drives are conducted by Akshaya Patra in association with a hospital partner or vaccination partner with the necessary safety measures in place. The Foundation has collaborated with a volunteering partner for manpower requirements. The initiative was started with a pilot in Delhi on June 26, 2021.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been utilizing its kitchen infrastructure and resources to undertake relief feeding by serving cooked meals and distributing essential grocery kits. The Foundation has so far served over 14 crore meals in various locations across 20 states and one union territory.

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Delhi, 04 October, 2018: The Akshaya Patra Foundation in partnership with Concentrix India and DLF CyberHub organized Daan Utsav 2018 to #BuildAFuture, a musical evening at CyberHub Amphitheatre, Gurgaon. The event was initiated to garner support to build the future of children and celebrate their promising and bright aspirations.

A campaign to feed 1 lakh beneficiaries of Akshaya Patra was activated through five Mega Jigsaw puzzles set up at Cyber Hub. A memorable experience was woven by a flash mob, classical dance performance, and musical performances by Mr. Spandan Banerjee & Mazhab – The Band. Also, ‘Nukkad Nataks’ were enacted throughout the day to spread awareness about the challenge of classroom hunger and malnutrition that millions of children face every day.

The event was graced by Mr. Ravinder Rana VP & GM India, ASEAN, and ANZ Concentrix India, and Mr. Mathan Varkey – National Director, Corporate Partnership, The Akshaya Patra Foundation.

The event left an impression on more than 5,000 people, and more importantly, it served to boost awareness about the cause by a video message from Celebrity Chef Sanjeev Kapoor.

About The Akshaya Patra Foundation
The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation headquartered in Bengaluru, India, which strives to address issues like hunger and malnutrition in the country. By implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Government and Government-aided schools, Akshaya Patra aims to fight hunger and at the same time, bring children to school.  Since 2000, Akshaya Patra has worked towards reaching out to children with wholesome food every single school day. The Foundation is continuously leveraging technology to cater to millions of children. Its state-of-the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and attract curious visitors from around the world.

In partnership with the Government of India and various State Governments, and the inestimable support of many philanthropic donors and well-wishers, Akshaya Patra has grown from humble beginnings serving just 1,500 school children across five schools. Today, it is the world’s largest (not-for-profit run) mid-day meal programme, serving wholesome food to over 1.7 million children from 14,264 schools across 12 states in India.

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Bengaluru, 14 September 2018: Joining the country in observing the National Nutrition Month, The Akshaya Patra Foundation has started an Outreach Campaign on the critical cause of addressing hunger and malnutrition. As a part of this campaign, conscientious citizens are being encouraged to sign pledge cards committing to ‘no wastage of food’ and support under-served people by feeding them.

The signed pledge-cards will be sent to the Prime Minister’s Office to express the collective commitment and request the Hon’ble Prime Minister to take up the topic, ‘ensuring access to nutrition for all’ in the upcoming ‘Mann ki Baat.’

The objective of the campaign is to spread awareness and create tangible action by involving thousands of people and critical stakeholders in the public and private sectors, in our movement against hunger and malnutrition (hidden hunger) on the occasion of National Nutrition Month. The campaign has found support from varied sections of society, ranging from private and Government schools, teachers, corporates, bureaucracy, and political leaders. As of now, over 15,000 signed pledge cards have been sent to the office of Hon’ble Prime Minister. We are reaching out to more supporters for this campaign.

As of now, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Shri. Jai Ram Thakur; Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri. Trivendra Singh Rawat; Shri. Vasudev Devnani and Shri. Arvind Pandey, the Education Ministers of Rajasthan and Uttarakhand respectively; Padma Shree awardee, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor; Mr. Mohit Anand – Managing Director, Kellogg’s India & South Asia; and several other prominent personalities have extended support to the campaign by taking the pledge.

About The Akshaya Patra Foundation

 
Mr. Mohit Anand – Managing Director, Kellogg’s India & South Asia & Ms. Nikhiya Shamsher – National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement-2017 & Diana Legacy Award Winner.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation headquartered in Bengaluru, India, which strives to address issues like hunger and malnutrition in the country. By implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Government and Government-aided schools, Akshaya Patra aims to fight hunger and at the same time, bring children to school. Since 2000, Akshaya Patra has worked towards reaching out to children with wholesome food on every single school day. The Foundation is continuously leveraging technology to cater to millions of children. Its state-of-the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and attract curious visitors from around the world.

In partnership with the Government of India and various State Governments, and the inestimable support of many philanthropic donors and well-wishers, Akshaya Patra has grown from humble beginnings serving just 1,500 school children across five schools. Today, it is the world’s largest (not-for-profit run) mid-day meal programme, serving wholesome food to over 1.7 million children from 14,264 schools across 12 states in India.

The post Akshaya Patra’s Campaign Observing the National Nutrition Month Urges PM to Speak On Malnourishment in His Upcoming ‘Mann Ki Baat’. appeared first on PuneDiary.Com.