25 yrs, 5 billion meals: At Akshay Patra milestone, President Murmu says nourishment and schooling key to Viksit Bharat | India Information
2 min learnNew DelhiMar 18, 2026 12:56 AM IST
President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday presided over an occasion to have fun 5 billion meals served by The Akshaya Patra Basis, utilizing the event to emphasise the hyperlink between diet, schooling, and India’s long-term improvement targets.
“Serving 5 billion meals within the development of academic targets is the exceptional achievement of Akshaya Patra Basis,” President Murmu stated. It “underscores the importance of a nourished and educated society in realizing our nationwide resolve to construct ‘Viksit Bharat’ by the 12 months 2047,” she stated.
Framing little one welfare as a collective duty, Murmu stated, “A secure and vibrant future for our kids will not be solely the duty of the federal government, however a shared duty of us all.”
She added that “We should make sure that each little one receives high quality schooling, nutritious meals, good well being, and a clear and secure setting.”
The President stated the varsity meals program PM-POSHAN, previously the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, “had confirmed to be a big incentive for folks to ship their youngsters to highschool,” and had led to “a rise in youngsters’s enrolment, attendance, and retention in colleges” in addition to “a exceptional enchancment of their studying capabilities and tutorial efficiency”.
The Akshay Patra Basis is the largest implementing associate of PM-POSHAN, and presently serves 2.35 million youngsters day by day throughout 16 states and three Union Territories.
The organisation was established 25 years in the past with the target of making certain that “no little one in India must be disadvantaged of schooling due to starvation.” The Basis has since grown into what it says is “the world’s largest NGO-run faculty lunch program”.
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The occasion, held on the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, was additionally attended by Union Schooling Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who described this system as a “Jan Andolan” rooted in collective effort.
“Except our kids and youth are well-nourished, India can not absolutely realise its potential,” he stated. “Nutritious meals reaching each little one within the nation is not only a service however a decision for the longer term.”
The partnership between the federal government and the Basis “stands as a shining instance of how authorities, society, and establishments can work collectively to deal with a few of the nation’s most complicated challenges”, Pradhan stated.