Akshaya Patra Foundation began its journey with just 1,500 children in Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of Asia.
At Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Foundation celebrates 25 years of service while urging the government to expand nutrition support beyond midday meals.
Bengaluru / New Delhi, NFAPost: Amid the celebration of its historic milestone of 5 million meals the Akshaya Patra Foundation called for its larger vision of starting the National Breakfast Mission to serve the country in a bigger way and thus build a society with nutritional values in individuals’ daily healthy life.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation marked a historic milestone at Rashtrapati Bhavan, celebrating the serving of its five billionth meal—a journey that began with just 1,500 children in Bengaluru and has grown into one of the world’s largest school meal programmes.
The ceremony, attended by President of India Droupadi Murmu and Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan, highlighted the scale and societal impact of the initiative, which now serves over 2.35 million children daily across 25,000 schools.
From Temple Kitchen to National Movement
Founded in 2000, the organisation’s growth has been powered by a public-private partnership model, particularly through its role in implementing the PM Poshan Scheme.
Speaking at the event, Akshaya Patra Foundation Founder and Chairman Madhu Pandit Dasa said the foundation of the organisation is rooted in India’s cultural ethos of Annadana—the sacred act of sharing food.
“Feeding a needy child is not charity, it is a social responsibility. Our ancient teachings emphasises the importance of providing food as a fundamental duty. Akshya Patra Foundation today operates 78 centralised, technology-driven kitchens and is supported by over 9,000 workers, often referred to as ‘hunger warriors’,” said Akshaya Patra Foundation Founder and Chairman Madhu Pandit Dasa.
Scaling with Efficiency and Technology
Akshaya Patra’s growth story is also one of operational efficiency. The average cost of a meal is approximately Rs 17.44, with government support covering a portion and the rest funded through donations.
By leveraging technology, supply chain optimisation and data-driven systems, the foundation has achieved remarkable scale while maintaining transparency—earning recognition from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
“Even small savings per meal can translate into thousands of additional children being fed annually,” said Akshaya Patra Foundation Founder and Chairman Madhu Pandit Dasa.
A New Frontier: Breakfast for Every Child
While celebrating past achievements, the foundation used the platform to push for its next major goal—a national breakfast programme.
Madhu Pandit Dasa pointed out that many children arrive at school hungry, with the midday meal often being their first and only meal of the day.
“Just as the midday meal transformed millions of lives, a national breakfast programme can be the next revolution. Here I urge the government to expand nutritional support,” said Akshaya Patra Foundation Founder and Chairman Madhu Pandit Dasa.
The foundation has already initiated a breakfast programme that reaches over one million children daily, demonstrating its feasibility and impact.
Nourishing the Future
The event underscored a larger message: that nutrition is foundational to education, health and national development.
As Akshaya Patra looks ahead, its journey from a modest kitchen to a nationwide movement stands as a powerful example of how scale, technology and compassion can come together to address one of India’s most critical challenges—child hunger.
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