Says it will bolster quality of education
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Saligao MLA Kedar Naik and others serve meals to children during the launch of Akshaya Patra Foundation’s first kitchen in Goa.
PORVORIM
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday stated that hygienic mid-day meals supplied by Akshaya Patra Foundation (APF) would improve physical and mental fitness of students, thereby improving the quality of education in the State.
He was speaking at the Pilerne Industrial Estate after inaugurating the APF’s first kitchen in Goa with the support of the State government and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
“The State government has entered into a long term tie-up with APF to serve freshly cooked, hygienic and nutritious meals to students of Goa. The State government proposes to serve mid-day meals on trial basis to students of Stds 9 and 10 from Saligao, Calangute and Siolim constituencies,” said Sawant.
“The Multi-Purpose Cyclone Shelter at Pilerne has been given to the APF to prepare and serve meals to students of North Goa, while a Multipurpose Cyclone Shelter in the South will be handed over to them shortly to serve food to the students of South Goa.”
“APF’s hygienic food will improve the physical and mental fitness of students, and the quality of education will improve. They will serve only vegetarian food,” said Sawant.
APF’s new centralised kitchen will operate from the 15,000 sq. ft. facility, which can prepare and distribute 5,000 meals. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has supported with essential kitchen infrastructure. Initially, APF will serve 2,500 beneficiary children in the state as a part of the Government of India’s flagship school feeding programme, the PM POSHAN Abhiyaan.
Speaking further, the chief minister said: “On the punyatithi of former chief minister late Manohar Parrikar, I am heartened to see his vision of providing nutritious mid-day meals to children becoming a reality. It was his initiative to invite Akshaya Patra to Goa nearly a decade ago.”
Others present on the occasion included Saligao MLA Kedar Naik, Secretary (Education) Prasad Lolayekar, Director of Education Shailesh Zingade, North Goa Collector Dr Sneha Gitte, APF Co-founder and Vice-chairman Chanchalapathi Dasa, NPCI Senior Lead CSR Subhash Chandra Rai, APF National President and Trustee Bharatarshabha Dasa, and CEO Shridhar Venkat.
The inauguration event was followed by a tour of the kitchen facility and serving of meals to the children. The dignitaries present commended APF’s efforts to address hunger and malnutrition through its kitchen network spread across the country and congratulated the Foundation for beginning its services in Goa.
Saligao MLA Kedar Naik, Bharatarshabha Dasa and Shreedhar Venkat were among those who spoke on the occasion.
APF’s new kitchen has been made possible through the support of the NPCI, whose contributions have played a crucial role in setting up this kitchen infrastructure.
Akshay Patra to
co-exist with SHGs (SUBHEAD)
The chief minister clarified that the appointment of APF to supply mid-day meals to students of Goa will not have any effect on existing Self Help Groups (SHGs) supplying mid-day meals to students.
“Along with APF, the SHGs will continue serving mid-day meals to students. But no new SHGs will be enrolled for the supply of mid-day meals. It now becomes the responsibility of SHGs to upgrade their kitchen facilities and provide good quality hygienic meals to students of Goa,” said Sawant.
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DC BULLETS
APF'S CAPACITY AND MENU
APF’s new facility North Goa, which is its 78th kitchen in the country, has a capacity to produce 5,000 meals daily
The facility is equipped with a 600-litre rice cauldron that prepares 1,250 meals in just 60 minutes and a 600-litre dal cauldron that ensures 2,000 meals in 90 minutes
The idli steamer produces 2,000 idlis per hour, and the semi-automatic chapati machine rolls out 2,000 chapatis per hour
As a standard practice, APF serves food in accordance with the local palate across the country to improve consumption
In Goa, the APF’s menu will include items like chapatis, batata bhaji, vatana bhaji, vegetable korma, idli, sambar, soya chunks, mix-veg pulav, etc
