On 30 September 2024, The Akshaya Patra Foundation inaugurated its 75th kitchen in India and fifth kitchen in Bengaluru. The state-of-the-art kitchen in Chikkajala was inaugurated by Shri Krishna Byre Gowda, Honourable Minister of Revenue, Government of Karnataka, in the presence of Shri N R Narayana Murthy, Founder - Infosys Limited, and Shri Jyotindra Thakkar, CIO - Reliance Limited. On behalf of Akshaya Patra, Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa, Founder-Chairman, Shri Chanchalapathi Dasa, Co-Founder & Vice-Chairman and Shri Shridhar Venkat, CEO, were present. The event was presided over by patron donors Shri Janardan Thakkar, Chairman, and Ms. Linda Thakkar, Vice-Chairman of the Thakkar Family Foundation.

The Chikkajala kitchen will cater to schools in Yelahanka, Jakkur, Hebbal and surrounding areas, providing over 35,000 wholesome, nutritious mid-day meals to over 200 government and government-aided schools. The menu is curated to make the meals nutritious and tasty as per the local palate, including vegetable pulav, bisibele bath, masala vegetable upma, rice, green leafy sambar, mixed pulses, vegetable sambar, tomato rasam, fried poha with avalaki and wheat kesari bath, vermicelli payasam and moong dal payasam.

Speaking on this occasion, the Revenue Minister, Shri Krishna Byre Gowda said, “On behalf of the Government of Karnataka, I thank Akshaya Patra and the Thakkar Family from the bottom of my heart. The widening disparity between the rich and poor in India is alarming, and we cannot afford to ignore it. If we continue to bury our heads in the sand, it will lead to our own peril. Thankfully, individuals like Shri Janardhan Thakkar and Shri Narayan Murthy have stepped up to do their part in addressing the injustice and inequality in our society. Their efforts show us that a small contribution can make a big difference.  I sincerely hope more materially wealthy individuals will follow their example and reinvest their wealth back into society so that our nation can grow and evolve into a better India. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Thakkars for supporting Akshaya Patra and its vital mission.”

Shri NR Narayana Murthy, Founder, Infosys Ltd, said“I express immense gratitude to the Thakkar family and the Government of Karnataka for their significant support towards this cause. It is truly inspiring to be at an event dedicated to giving hope to India’s underprivileged children. The Thakkar family’s contribution to this kitchen is an embodiment of hope and faith. Education flourishes only when children have access to nutritious food, which is the core belief of The Akshaya Patra Foundation.”

Thanking the Government of Karnataka for the opportunity to serve the children in the state, Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa said, “Our association with the Government of Karnataka started in 2003 and I can proudly say that it has only strengthened with time. Their valuable support enables us to serve over 4.5 lakh children across 3,000+ government and government-aided schools in the state. Since its inception, Akshaya Patra has served nearly 1.2 billion mid-day meals in Karnataka.”

The newly inaugurated kitchen has a built-up area of 30,000 sq.ft., and is equipped with state-of-the-art gravity-flow infrastructure. It has an 80 KWp-capacity solar plant, contributing to increased energy efficiency and sustainability. Similarly, the facility features an Effluent Treatment Plant (a 70KLD ETP which uses advanced filtration and treatment processes) and 2-ton briquette boilers to generate high-efficiency steam for cooking, thus reducing dependence on fossil fuels and lowering carbon emissions. The kitchen also includes a dedicated 2KLPH milk reconstitution plant under the ‘Ksheera Bhagya’ scheme, with automated batch controls for a production of 3,500 ltrs.

All the dignitaries unequivocally commended Akshaya Patra’s efforts to address classroom hunger and malnutrition in India through its network of kitchens and assured their support and encouragement.