Akshaya Patra resumes mid-day meal for school kids after 18 months

With children from classes 1-5 returning to schools, Bengaluru-based non-profit organisation Akshaya Patra on Thursday resumed its mid-day meal programme in the State.

"The Akshaya Patra Foundation today resumed the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme after the Covid-19 pandemic kept children out of school for the last 18 months, thanks to a positive decision by the Karnataka State Government. The Mid-Day Meal program benefits lakhs of students from the Government & Government Aided schools who relish a hot nutritious meal," said Shridhar Venkat, CEO, The Akshaya Patra Foundation.

To commemorate the resumption of schools after 18 months, "We have curated a special menu for the beneficiaries, i.e., a veg biryani loaded with beans, carrot, capsicum, potato, and cabbage, and a sweet in the form of moong dal payasam," he added.

Akshaya Patra serves over 75,000 children studying in 789 schools in and around Bengaluru. As of March 2020, Akshaya Patra served 1.8 million children from 19,039 schools spread across 13 States and one union territory.