President Droupadi Murmu serves Akshaya Patra’s 5 billionth meal
The Akshaya Patra Foundation commemorated the milestone of serving 5 billion meals and its completion of 25 years of service to humanity at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre.
President Droupadi Murmu graced the event as the Chief Guest, and the Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, was the Guest of Honour. The event was held in the august presence of Akshaya Patra’s founders — Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman and President of ISKCON Bangalore, and Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice Chairman and Sr Vice President.
The theme of the event – ‘Suposhit and Sushikshit Bharat for Viksit Bharat’ highlighted the collective efforts towards child nutrition and education for a developed India. The event was attended by Akshaya Patra’s Board of Trustees, senior Government officials, distinguished leaders, public policy think tanks, philanthropists, partners, supporters and key stakeholders.
The president gave gifts, served meals and in a heartfelt gesture, personally fed the children with her own hands. As an implementing partner of the Government of India’s flagship PM POSHAN initiative, Akshaya Patra has been serving fresh, nutritious meals to millions of children studying in Government schools across India. The Foundation is currently feeding 2.35 million children through its state-of-the-art kitchens in 78 locations across 16 States and 3 Union Territories of India, and aspires to feed 3 million children every day by 2030.
Speaking on the occasion, “Serving five billion meals in advancement of educational objectives is the remarkable achievement of The Akshaya Patra Foundation. The theme of this event, ‘From a Well-Nourished and Well-Educated India to a Developed India’, underscores the significance of a nourished and educated society in realizing our national resolve to build ‘Viksit Bharat’ by the year 2047. A safe and bright future for our children is not solely the responsibility of the Government, but a shared responsibility of us all. When teachers, parents, social organisations, the corporate sector, and every segment of society work together, then we lay a strong foundation for the coming generation. We must ensure that every child receives quality education, nutritious food, good health, and a clean and safe environment. These fundamentals enable holistic development of children,” Murmu said on occasion and commended Akshaya Patra Foundation for working continuously to address the issue of malnutrition among children and encourage them to pursue education by delivering mid-day meals to schools for the past 25 years.
Pradhan in his address, offered respects to Srila Prabhupada, whose inspiration gave rise to this selfless food distribution initiative, which has now grown into a mass movement.
Madhu Pandit Dasa said, “I express my heartfelt gratitude to the President for kindly gracing today’s event. I also thank the Minister of Education and all other dignitaries for their presence. As we commemorate Akshaya Patra’s 25 years of service to humanity and the milestone of serving 5 billion meals, we reiterate our commitment to work towards Srila Prabhupada’s noble vision that no one should ever go hungry. This event has encouraged everyone at Akshaya Patra to continue our services to children with even greater enthusiasm.
On the occasion, Chanchalapathi Dasa said, “It is a joyous occasion for Akshaya Patra as we have reached a significant milestone of serving 5 billion cumulative meals in our 25-year journey. We thank all our guests for taking time out of their schedules to participate in today’s event. We are deeply grateful to the Government of India and various State and Union Territories Governments for their constant support and encouragement in all our endeavours. We thank our donors, partners and well-wishers for joining us in our humble efforts to ensure child nutrition and education through freshly cooked, wholesome meals. On this occasion, we express our heartfelt appreciation to all the dedicated full-time missionaries and professionals of Akshaya Patra who have been working tirelessly every day for the welfare of society,” he added.
Akshaya Patra achieved its first milestone of serving 1 billion meals cumulatively in just a span of 12 years. In 2012, the 1 billionth meal was served by Narayana Murthy, Founder of Infosys and philanthropist.
Former President late Pranab Mukherjee, served the 2 billionth meal in 2016 at ISKCON Bangalore. In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, served the 3 billionth meal in Vrindavan. Five years later, in 2024, Akshaya Patracomme-morated serving 4 billion meals at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The 5 billionth meal was served by the President Murmu on Tuesday.
