Clinton visited the kitchen of Akshya Patra Foundation in Jagatpura area where he saw how food was prepared with the use of technology for a large number of government school children as part of the mid-day meal programme.
The former US president, who arrived here on Monday night as part of his tour to Asia-Pacific region to oversee the work of Clinton Foundation, arrived at the NGO's facility with his 25-member delegation where he was received by the organisation's trustee members and some school students.
He then took nearly an hour-long trip around the kitchen to see how it caters to school students in and around Jaipur, during which he was briefed about the operation by the foundation's chairman Madhu Pandit Dasa.
Clinton seemed specially impressed by the functioning of a chapatti-making machine with a capacity to make 40,000 of such flat breads in an hour.
JAIPUR: Former US President Bill Clinton on Wednesday served chapattis to children at a government school here after witnessing preparation of mid-day meals for thousands of students at the kitchen run by an NGO.
Clinton visited the kitchen of Akshya Patra Foundation in Jagatpura area where he saw how food was prepared with the use of technology for a large number of government school children as part of the mid-day meal programme.
The former US president, who arrived here on Monday night as part of his tour to Asia-Pacific region to oversee the work of Clinton Foundation, arrived at the NGO's facility with his 25-member delegation where he was received by the organisation's trustee members and some school students.
He then took nearly an hour-long trip around the kitchen to see how it caters to school students in and around Jaipur, during which he was briefed about the operation by the foundation's chairman Madhu Pandit Dasa.
Clinton seemed specially impressed by the functioning of a chapatti-making machine with a capacity to make 40,000 of such flat breads in an hour.
Addressing the school students, Clinton praised the work of Akshya Patra Foundation and said he expected the number of school children being fed by it across India to go up from present 1.3 million to 5 million in next few years.
"I want to thank all of the students and teachers for the warm welcome. This is a part of efforts that involves more than 10,000 schools in ten states in India and feeds 1.3 million people a year.
"This is a remarkable partnership between the government, private sector business community and non government organisation," he said.
Clinton and his delegation members also served mid-day meals to students.
The kitchen run by Akshya Patra Foundation is part of a programme that provides free mid-day meals to more than 1.3 million school children in over 10,500 government schools across India, with the goal of increasing school enrolment, attendance, and retention, as well as improving overall health in children.
Visibly impressed by the efforts to provide meals to thousands of students, Clinton said: "I want to emphasise on the midday meal programme which is part of our Clinton Global Initiative. We have business people all over the world supporting this initiative."
He also mentioned that food being served to students was clean and healthy and said that this helps in bringing down school drop-out rates.
"It is providing clean healthy food which tastes good," he said while speaking to reporters.
The former US President also referred to a donation of 2 million USD made to Akshya Patra by a US based company to set up a similar kitchen in Lucknow.
BJP MLA Diya Kumari, District Collector Krishna Kunal, DCP Amandeep Kapoor and others were present during the visit.
Clinton is scheduled to visit Lucknow tomorrow.
