UP: CM Yogi Adityanath Inaugurates Akshaya Patra Foundation's Centralised Kitchen To Serve Hot Meals To 1 Lakh Schoolchildren In Gorakhpur | VIDEO

· Free Press Journal

Gorakhpur, June 25: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, “A healthy and hygienic diet and lifestyle are essential for staying healthy. To eliminate malnutrition, it is necessary that children receive nutritious food while maintaining cleanliness. This work is being carried out by the Akshaya Patra Foundation in the interest of society. Healthy children, nourished with clean and nutritious food, will become the foundation of a prosperous society."

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As the chief guest, CM Yogi was addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Akshaya Patra Foundation's centralized kitchen in Gorakhpur, built with the support of the state government and having the capacity to prepare meals for one lakh children, on Thursday. He stated, "The emphasis that the Akshaya Patra Foundation places on hygiene, nutrition and quality while preparing meals for the Mid-Day Meal of school children is something everyone should learn from."

Centralised Kitchen Inaugurated

CM Yogi informed, "The Akshaya Patra Foundation's kitchens are already operational in Mathura, Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra and Kanpur. Now, with the support of the government, a centralized kitchen has been established in Gorakhpur to further expand this initiative. In the new academic session, more than 50,000 school children, and shortly thereafter one lakh children, will receive hot meals from here as per the prescribed menu."

He stated that the government provides foodgrains and conversion costs, while the work of preparing and distributing meals in a better manner is being carried out by the Akshaya Patra Foundation.

The Chief Minister remarked, "Everyone should think about maintaining good health. We can remain healthy only when our food is clean. If the food is clean, it will also be healthy. Nutritious food keeps the body healthy, and only when the body is healthy can the mind also remain healthy."

He said, "Whether at home or in the market, if you want to assess the quality of food, begin with cleanliness. Incidents such as food poisoning occur only when there is negligence in maintaining cleanliness." He appreciated the Akshaya Patra Foundation for paying special attention to hygiene in the preparation and distribution of food.

CM Yogi asserted, "With the support of the Akshaya Patra Foundation, one lakh children in Gorakhpur will receive nutritious food, helping achieve the objective of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Suposhan Mission and contributing to the realisation of the vision of Viksit Bharat."

He added, "Healthy children will also become the foundation of a prosperous society and a strong nation in the future."

Focus On Education

CM Yogi said, "Education is the foundation of a prosperous society and the strong link of a powerful nation. It is education that determines both the present and the future of society."

He stated that infrastructural facilities and quality education in the state's basic schools have been strengthened through Mission Kayakalp, while similar improvements have been carried out in secondary schools through Project Alankar.

Referring to the basic education academic session that commenced on Thursday, he appealed to teachers to ensure that not even a single child is deprived of attending school. He directed, "Along with ensuring admission to the school, every child should be provided with a uniform, school bag, shoes, socks and all other required items."

The Chief Minister stated, "NITI Aayog has recognised the transformation of education in Uttar Pradesh over the past nine years as a success story." He said that under Project Alankar in secondary education, government and government-aided secondary schools have been provided adequate funds to ensure a safe environment for studies.

CM Yogi informed, "Earlier, board examinations and declaration of results used to take months, whereas now cheating-free examinations are conducted within 15 days and results are also declared within 15 days. This makes 11 months available for studies."

He added that Atal Tinkering Labs, Smart Classes and Digital Libraries are being established to strengthen the education sector.

The Chief Minister stated that after basic and secondary education, Abhyudaya Coaching facilities are being provided in all districts to help students prepare for competitive examinations. He expressed confidence that the enhanced facilities would enable basic and secondary education in the state to set new benchmarks.

Foundation Highlights Mission

Welcoming Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and all the dignitaries, Akshaya Patra Foundation Co-founder and Vice Chairman Chanchalapati Das thanked Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for providing about 2.5 acres of land and financial assistance for the construction of the kitchen. He said, "The mission of the Akshaya Patra Foundation is to ensure that no child is deprived of education because of hunger."

He informed that the Akshaya Patra kitchen, under the PM Poshan Yojana, has the capacity to prepare and distribute one lakh hot, nutritious and balanced meals every day for children in Gorakhpur and surrounding areas. The specialised kitchen equipment includes two roti-making machines with a combined capacity to prepare 40,000 rotis per hour.

He stated, "The new centralized kitchen facility inaugurated by the Hon'ble Chief Minister will now be capable of serving 55,000 children studying in 546 schools and will gradually expand its reach to one lakh children in 1,570 schools. At present, the facility operates a fleet of 23 electric vehicles for meal distribution, helping reduce carbon emissions and strengthen the regional school meal system."

The programme was presided over by Akshaya Patra Foundation National President and Trustee Bharatrishabh Das. Prominent dignitaries present on the occasion included State Women's Commission Chairperson Babita Singh Chauhan, Mayor Dr Manglesh Srivastava, MLC and BJP State Vice President Dr Dharmendra Singh, MLAs Fateh Bahadur Singh, Rajesh Tripathi, Vipin Singh, Mahendrapal Singh, Pradeep Shukla and Sarwan Nishad, State Women's Commission Vice Chairperson Charu Chaudhary, Akshaya Patra Foundation's Anant Viryadas Prabhuji, Rasaraj Krishnadasji, Mukesh Tiwari, BJP leader Shakuntala Chauhan, BJP Metropolitan President Ramesh Pratap Gupta, Metropolitan Convener Rajesh Gupta and others.

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Kitchen Facilities Reviewed

After inaugurating the Akshaya Patra Foundation's centralized kitchen, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath toured the facility and reviewed the arrangements there. Thereafter, he served the meals prepared in the kitchen to school children. On the occasion, the Chief Minister also planted an Indian gooseberry (amla) sapling on the premises of the Akshaya Patra kitchen.

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