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AKSHAYA PATRA LOGO |
The history of our Foundation starts with a story of compassion.
Looking out of a window one day in Mayapur, a village near Calcutta, His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada saw a group of children fighting with street dogs over scraps of food. From this simple, yet heart breaking incident, came the determination that: No one within a ten mile radius of our center should go hungry.It is his inspiration which helped us to create The Akshaya Patra Foundation as it is today.
We began this initiative with the vision that “No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger.”
In June 2000, we started our mid-day meal program in Bangalore by feeding 1500 children in 5 schools. At that time there was no State run school meal program in Karnataka. Within a few short weeks we had received hundreds of requests from teachers who expressed the dire need of such a scheme.
This over whelming response was the impetus for the growth of The Akshaya Patra Foundation.
Growth of The Akshaya Patra Foundation
In November 28, 2001 the Supreme Court of India passed an order which mandated that : “Cooked mid-day meal is to be provided in all the government and government-aided primary schools in all the states.” Akshaya Patra was called in to give testimonies to the Supreme Court in order to implement the mandate.
By the time the Ministry of Human Resource Development (Department of School Health and Education) extended its support to this noble cause in 2003, Akshaya Patra was already reaching out to 23,000 underprivileged children through the support of our donors.
With the partnership of the Government of India & various State governments, as well as the generosity of thousands of our supporters, we have grown from a small endeavor to a mammoth force that stretches across the country.
Now we are reaching out to 1.2 million children everyday.
For 10 years, we have been an international charity for children that has worked to transform a vision into a reality.
We will continue to do so…
Our Mission
Our mission is to reach out to 5 million children by 2020.Close to 13.5 million underprivileged children in India are out of school and into child labour in order to earn a single meal in a day. (Source:www.worldbank.org.in)
The surest way to break out of the cycle of poverty is through education. Education can significantly improve the quality of life of a family for generations to come. When the basic needs of a child, such as food are not met, education often becomes the last priority.
We are helping underprivileged children by providing them with a healthy, balanced meal that they would otherwise have to work for. The meal is an incentive for them to continue their education. It helps reduce the dropout rate to an enormous extent and increases classroom attendance.
Governance
At Akshaya Patra, we firmly believe that good governance and ethics are the necessary foundations of any non-governmental organization.Our core values of transparency and pursuit of excellence have helped us build a credible vehicle for individuals, organizations and institutions to partner with.
Our empowered team spread across India, US, and UK plays a large role in understanding the complex issues faced by children and spreading our authentic cause through well-defined processes.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation
The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF) is a public, charitable, secular Trust, registered in Bangalore. The Board of Trustees comprise missionaries of ISKCON Bangalore, corporate professionals, and entrepreneurs.Our advisory board comprises eminent personalities from the corporate world, bureaucrats, successful businessmen, and government officials.
The following organogram briefly depicts how your organization is oriented towards a satisfied child:
Our Trustees
Board of Trustees:
 | Madhu Pandit Dasa Chairman The Akshaya Patra Foundation An M.Tech post graduate from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai, Madhu Pandit Dasa is the visionary who initiated the Akshaya Patra program in the year 2000, developing a technology-driven operating model. |  | Chanchalapathi Dasa Vice Chairman The Akshaya Patra Foundation Chanchalapathi Dasa, is a post-graduate from the premier institution, the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and provides strategic directions to the Akshaya Patra program. | |
 | Chitranga Chaitanya Dasa Program Director The Akshaya Patra Foundation A food expert, CC Das brings with him special skills in fund-raising and was instrumental in setting up the overseas offices of the Foundation. |  | T.V. Mohandas Pai Board Member & Director - Human Resources Infosys Technologies Ltd. An ace chartered accountant by profession, Mohandas Pai has held key positions in Infosys since 1994. In addition to his current responsibilities, Pai is working with governments and decision-makers across India to improve the quality of education in the country. | |
 | Abhay Jain Board Member, Head Group Corporate Affairs, Manipal Education & Medical Group Abhay Jain is one of the largest distributors for polymers in South India. He is on the Board of Governors of the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB) and the Maliviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur. He has also served as the vice president in the Birla Group of companies. |  | Ramdas Kamath Vice President (Fin & Admin) Infosys Technologies Ltd. Deeply committed to the socio-cultural development of India, Ramdas Kamath is involved in philanthropic activities and is particularly passionate about underprivileged children's welfare. | |
 | V. Balakrishnan CFO Infosys Technologies Ltd. Bringing with him several years of finance and accounts expertise, Balakrishnan also serves on the boards of Infosys Technologies Australia Pty Limited and Infosys Consulting, Inc, both wholly owned subsidiaries. |  | Raj Kondur Chairman Nirvana Business Solutions An alumni of the Harvard Business School, Raj Kondur has worked for several years in Morgan Stanley and AT Kearney in the US and is known for his expertise in fund management. |
| Rajendra Babu Former Chief Justice of India Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission Justice Babu was the 34th Chief Justice of independent India. Prior to this short stint, he was a permanent judge of the Karnataka High Court during which he has delivered several landmark judgments in civil, criminal, constitutional, environmental, taxation corporate law and IPR matters. | Sangita Jindal Chairperson JSW Foundation |
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Q: Why does Akshaya Patra raise donations from public and corporations when the government is providing subsidy for the mid-day meal program?
A: Akshaya Patra is feeding over 5 lakh children in Karnataka in five locations: Bangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Bellary, Mysore and Mangalore. One of the important features of the Akshaya Patra program is that we feed unlimited servings to the children.
Akshaya Patra is feeding about 12 lakh children in 17 locations in India in eight states.
The subsidy we received in Karnataka (2009-10) is as follows:
Class 1 to 7 : Rs.1.80 per child + 100 gms of rice per child per day
Class 8 to 10 : Rs.2.20 per child + 150 gms of rice per child per day
The national average cost of the meal that Akshaya Patra provides is Rs.5.09 (2009-10). The national average subsidy received from the government (cash plus grain subsidy) is Rs.2.69. Hence there is a gap of Rs.2.41 to be raised by The Akshaya Patra Foundation to meet the running expenses.
National average cost break-up of the Akshaya Patra meal during the year 2009-10 (in Rupees):
Akshaya Patra feeds about 12 lakh children every day in the country. This means, Akshaya Patra has to raise a donation of Rs.28.88 lakhs per school working day. For this we have to raise donations from general public and corporations.
In addition, Akshaya Patra sets up centralized kitchens to cook for large number of children. And we do not get any support from the government to set up the kitchens. We raise donations from public and corporations to meet this expense also. So far, we have spent Rs.81.53 crores to set up seventeen kitchens in eight states in the country.
Q: Does Akshaya Patra have permission from the state and/or central government for collecting donations for the mid-day meal program?
A: Yes, we do.
Ministry of Finance, Government of India: Akshaya Patra, an eligible project:
In the year 2003, we applied to the National Committee for Promotion of Social and Economic Welfare, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, explaining our mid-day meal program. This committee is headed by the former Chief Justice of India and several other prominent citizens from all over the country.
On examining our program, Akshaya Patra was recommended as an eligible project by this National Committee to raise donations up to Rs.22 crores and grant 100% tax benefits to the donors. This committee reviewed our program in the year 2006, and further extended the benefits of 100% tax exemption to the donors for another three years. In the year 2009, Akshaya Patra program was reviewed and the tax exemption benefit to the donors was renewed for another three years.
In our application to the National Committee, we had clearly indicated the basis for the sustainability of the program as follows:
• Conversion cost support from State Govt…………………………………….25%
• Subsidized grain allotment……………………………………………………….25%
• Donations………………………………………………………………………………..45%
• Others………………………………………………………………………………………5%
We have also been filing statements of donations raised before the National Committee.
The Ministry of Human Resources Department Guidelines encourages voluntary contributions:
The Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India, has issued guidelines for conduct of the mid-day meal program and one of the clauses states:
• The Guidelines, in Annexure IX Para 7: “The state government shall be fully responsible in implementing the program through NGOs support either for a cooked meal or pre cooked food variant in eligible schools. To this extent the State Government or the NGO concerned, may mobilize resources for conversion of food grains in to a cooked meal.”
In addition, the Guidelines of revised National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education, 2004, encourages voluntary contributions from the community to improve the meal.
Voluntary Community Support for Mid-Day Meal to be encouraged
Members of the community should be encouraged and invited to contribute towards providing a wholesome meal to children. There are many social occasions like religious festivals, marriages, etc. when local families will be happy to contribute a special dish or a sweet to the school Mid-Day Meal programme. This, as also other voluntary contributions from the community (say, in the form of cooking device/cooker, utensils, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, etc.) should be encouraged.
The Akshaya Patra Trust Deed Empowers Raising Donations:
The trust deed of Akshaya Patra Foundation, which is a trust registered in Bangalore, empowers the Board of Trustees to raise donations. The clause states:
8.xi To accept gifts, donations or contributions from individuals, corporate and non-profit organizations around the world so far as they are not inconsistent with the objects of the trust.
This trust deed has been filed with the various departments of the government in the last several years.
Private-Public Partnership Model:
The Mid-day Meal program is conducted in the Private-Public Partnership model within the guidelines of the government. Civic society participation in nation building is one of the important aspects of the government’s mid-day meal program. Many eminent citizens of the country have given donations and supported us in this program.
Other NGOs also raise donations:
There are many other NGOs providing mid-day meals in the country like Nandi Foundation (Hyderabad), Adamya Chetana (Bangalore) and ISKCON Food for Life Foundation (Mumbai) and all of them also raise donations from public to conduct the mid-day meal program. All these NGOs also have websites and solicit donations online and offline for their mid-day meal programs.
Hence it is incorrect to say that the fund raising by Akshaya Patra is without permission of the Government.
Civic Society Participation in Nation Building:
Further, in a mature and civilized society, the civic society’s impetus to contribute and participate in the development of the weaker sections of the society should be encouraged. This is a universal fact and Akshaya Patra has been encouraging the public, corporations and foundations to support this program for the benefit of the children.
Gold Shied Award for Financial Reporting:
Akshaya Patra has robust accounting standards and policies, and complies with sound disclosure norms. We are audited routinely and we regularly file our accounts with the various government authorities.
We regularly file our accounts with the various government authorities. Recognizing this, the Institute of Chartered Accounts of India conferred Gold Shield Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting for Akshaya Patra Foundation.
Yet another benefit to the Government:
The Government spends Rs.60,000 per school to set up the kitchen infrastructure for providing meals. In the case of schools where Akshaya Patra is providing the meals, the government does not have to set up the kitchen and hence this amount is saved. In Karnataka, Akshaya Patra is providing in 2320 schools, which means a saving of Rs. 60,000 x 2320 schools = Rs. 13.9 crores to the government.
Q: Does Akshaya Patra have permission of the government to receive donations from foreign countries?
Yes, it does.
For receiving donations from foreign countries, Akshaya Patra has taken the permission from Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, under Foreign Contributions (Regulations) Act and the statements of all donations received are being reported to the Home Ministry year after year. Please find the copy of the notification in our website.
The foreign donations that we receive is a small percentage of our total requirement (about 10%) and it is mostly from a few well known industrialists of Indian origin.
Get a Correct Picture of Akshaya Patra
BY: GADADHARA DASA
Jun 11, 2010 — DALLAS, TEXAS, USA (SUN) — Beware of politics of false propaganda against ISKCON Bangalore and Akshaya Patra. A few weeks’ back there was an article in the Sampradaya Sun, “Mid-day Scheme: ISKCON Under Scanner“, filled with false propaganda – such as Akshaya Patra is not authorized to collect donations in India and from outside India and ISKCON will be removed from “Mid Day Meal” Program.
A few days ago another article, “ISKCON Bangalore files Defamation Suit against DK Shivakumar” was published in the Sun.
The first article is also related to Shivakumar in the sense that last year, he advocated in state legislature investigating ISKCON Bangalore and Akshaya Patra and a committee was formed to do so.
(A) Here are few points regarding Shivakumar to keep in mind:
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| D.K Shivakumar |
(2) Shivakumar belongs to Congress party and BJP is the ruling Party in Karnataka state – this is another reason he is raising issues against ISKCON and Akshaya Patra.
(3) You may or may not know this – but after ISKCON Mubai lost case last year against ISKCON Bangalore – suspicion is that ISKCON Mubai has been feeding false info to Shivakumar and agitating him just as they did to Mahsranga Prabhu last year. In process Shivakumar trespassed on ISKCON or Akshaya Patra property and made false propaganda for which he is being sued now. Read second article above.
So much for Shivakumar.
(B) NGOs like Akshaya Patra are doing favor to Central and State Governments:
As I understand it – by law it is responsibility of Central Government and State Governments to provide mid day meals to school children. If these governments and politicians were honest then they would have implemented it. But they are not honest and capable of cost effectively implementing it. Akshaya Patra Lunch cost is about Rs 5/child/day – they will not be able to do it even at Rs 10. Corruption will be rampant and children will get very poor food if at all.
Article stated that proposal is to release ISKCON from “Mid Day Meal Program” in Karnataka State – my point is that one can make any proposal – but it will cost them big money to implement it – look at the numbers:
In Karnataka, Akshaya Patra is providing in 2320 schools, which means a saving of Rs. 60,000 x 2320 schools = Rs. 13.9 crores to the government. (Article published in Sun was related to Karnataka State where more than half a million children are provided free lunch by Akshaya Patra. State saves Rs. 13.9 crores money in setting up kitchens and state also saves more than Rs 12 Lakh daily. Still these politicians think they have right to twist facts and make false propaganda.
Thus it is very clear that Akshaya Patra and other similar organizations are actually doing favor to Governments. So it is not as easy as making the statement that ISKCON will be released from “Mid Day Meal Program”.
They are free to do anything. But they will have to set up kitchens, organization to run it, and pay for all the cost. Still politicians may destroy it as it is now.
I want you to keep in mind that ISKCON’s role in Akshaya Patra comes into question because ISKCON is a religious organization and not because it has done anything wrong.
(C) Please read “Frequently Asked Questions” to get the correct picture that Governments do not pay full cost of “Mid Day Meal” program and thus there is need to collect donations and Akshaya Patra is authorized to collect donations in India and from other countries.
Please note the following points:
(1) The national average cost of the meal that Akshaya Patra provides is Rs.5.09 (2009-10). The national average subsidy received from the government (cash plus grain subsidy) is Rs.2.69. Hence there is a gap of Rs.2.41 to be raised by The Akshaya Patra Foundation to meet the running expenses. (Do politicians think that this gap will be filled by shower of Indian Rupees from sky? )
(2) Akshaya Patra feeds about 12 lakh children every day in the country. This means, Akshaya Patra has to raise a donation of Rs.28.88 lakhs per school working day. For this we have to raise donations from general public and corporations. (Do politicians think that this gap will be filled by shower of Indian Rupees from sky? )
(3) Akshaya Patra has legal authority to collect donations in India and from outside India. We have also been filing statements of donations raised before the National Committee.
(4) In addition, Akshaya Patra sets up centralized kitchens to cook for large number of children. And we do not get any support from the government to set up the kitchens. We raise donations from public and corporations to meet this expense also. So far, we have spent Rs.81.53 crores to set up seventeen kitchens in eight states in the country.
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| UNEDUCATED PEOPLE SAYING ISKCON IS LOOTING |
(5) Yet another benefit to the Government: The Government spends Rs.60,000 per school to set up the kitchen infrastructure for providing meals. In the case of schools where Akshaya Patra is providing the meals, the government does not have to set up the kitchen and hence this amount is saved. In Karnataka, Akshaya Patra is providing in 2320 schools, which means a saving of Rs. 60,000 x 2320 schools = Rs. 13.9 crores to the government. (Article published in Sun was related to Karnataka State where more than half a million children are provided free lunch by Akshaya Patra. State saves Rs. 13.9 crores money in setting up kitchens and state also saves more than Rs 12 Lakh daily. Still these irresponsible politicians and News Media have guts to make false propaganda. )
(6) Gold Shied Award for Financial Reporting:
Akshaya Patra has robust accounting standards and policies, and complies with sound disclosure norms. We are audited routinely and we regularly file our accounts with the various government authorities.
We regularly file our accounts with the various government authorities. Recognizing this, the Institute of Chartered Accounts of India conferred Gold Shield Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting for Akshaya Patra Foundation.
Read it at Akshaya Patra Receives Award from ICAI
(But irresponsible politicians and News Media don’t care for anything good you do).
(D) Wealth Fever Gripping India:
Right now Indians have been gripped with wealth fever and as a result all morality is being thrown away and meat eating, intoxication, gambling, and illicit sex is becoming widespread.
Recently, 6 acre land in Bombay sold for Rs 4000 Crores (that is US $900 Million). Most of the money is gobbled up by politicians, government officers, and businessmen (honest and dishonest).
Shivakumar is a very wealthy man but since he lost to ISKCON in a bidding process to acquire 25 acre land, he has gone mad. He should be helping in such a noble cause instead of making false propaganda and creating trouble for himself and others.
On the other end are a few devotees of Krishna trying to implement Srila Prabhupada’s wish that no one goes hungry around a 10 mile radius of an ISKCON Center. Let us hope for the day when organized slaughterhouses will not be allowed in India – at least for cows and bulls, and no one will go hungry around 10 mile radius of ISKCON Center.
So be careful about false propaganda.
My Taught:-
I’m happy that Iskcon Bangalore is doing such a good service to the lord as well as the people. but few of the websites are really destroying a great work criticizing it to the core. i respect the opinion of all but as a citizen and as a critic i cant stand seeing the one who criticize a wonderful service given by his excellence Mr. Madhu Pandit Das.The below websites are the few websites who are criticizing the wonderful movement and the service to the people.
caution:- please criticize the sites below and post your open comment on the fake website and also post your comments here.
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| Akshaya Patra Fraud- fake website |
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| madhu bandit news- fraud website no. 3 |
thank you
Hare Krishna
