The Akshaya Patra Foundation Ampli fies the Partnership with BW LPG Ind ia to Fuel Mid-Day Meals across India
Expanded Partnership Set to Reinforce Nutrition and Educational Outcomes w ith Advanced Kitchen Technologies an d Extended Support Through 2026
Chennai, India,12th November, 2024 – The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a non-profit organisation focussed on provi ding unlimited food for education for Government & Government-Aided sch ool children as the implementing part ner of PM POSHAN program, is pleased to announce the significant expansion of its partnership with BW LPG India, the nation’s largest owner and operat or of Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGCs). This collaboration signifies a strength ening commitment towards improving children’s nutrition and educational o utcomes across India.
Since 2017, BW LPG India has been piv otal in India’s LPG supply chain, accou unting for about 25% of the LPG supply into India. As a subsidiary of the globa al leader BW LPG, the company brings international standards and substanti al capabilities to the partnership.
The partnership, initiated with a Mem orandum of Understanding in late 202 3, designated BW LPG India as the Ene rgy Partner for nine of Akshaya Patra’s centralized kitchens in Andhra Prades h and Uttar Pradesh. Over four month s, this alliance facilitated the preparat ion of approximately 12 million mid-day meals distributed to children from over 2,200 schools.
Further solidifying their commitment, BW LPG India recently undertook the construction of dining sheds in Bikane r, Rajasthan, enhancing the dining infr astructure for children at two schools. The renewed MOU for the fiscal year 2 024-25, encompassing an additional thr ee kitchens, projects the support of ne arly 42.7 million midday meals.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation Ampli fies the Partnership with BW LPG Indi aBW LPG Indi a’s corporate purpose is to deliver ene rgy for a better world, a nd it has been very rewarding to be th e Energy Partn er for the Akshaya Pat ra Foundation. With our specialization in delivering LPG into India, we want to support Ak shaya Patra’s energy ne eds in their cen tral kitchens as they deliver midday m eals to children. Wh en we join forces, we can transform liv es with energy.”
Mr. Dhananjay Ganjoo, Chief Resource Mobilization & Marketing Officer at Th e Akshaya Patra Foundation, remarke d, “Our collaboration with BW LPG Ind ia has been transformational not only in scale but also in the sustainability o f our operations. Their continued supp ort underlines a shared vision for a he althier, better-educated generation. Th e upcoming projects in Odisha, introdu cing greener, LPG-powered kitchen eq uipment, mark a significant leap towa rds environmentally sustainable meal production.”
This partnership also extends to huma nitarian efforts, with BW LPG India co ntributing INR 20,00,000 providing rel ief kits for 1,667 families, which ensur ed sustenance for 15-16 days, towards the Assam Flood Relief works initiated by Akshaya Patra. Additionally, a pilot project is underway to convert a briqu ette boiler to an LPG boiler for a kitch en serving mid-day meals to 580 rural schools in Odisha, requiring an inves tment of Rs 2 Cr. This project involves the installation of two dual-fired boile rs of Rs 5,225,000.
The operational expenses for the first three years are proj ected to be Rs 14,5 15,224, accounting f or a 4% increase in meal demand and 7% inflation. This co llaboration aims t o enhance clean coo king and meal qu ality for children in need.As both orga nizations prepare to implement their newest MOU from Oct ober 1, 2024, to M arch 31, 2026, this ve nture promises to further leverage cut ting-edge techn ology and resources to support undeb rprivileged children ac ross India, mak ing a direct impact on their daily lives and long-term well-bei ng.
About BW LPG India: BW LPG India is India’s largest owner and operator of India-flagged Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGCs) and transports approximately 25 percent of India’s maritime LPG im ports. It is a subsidiary of BW LPG, the world’s largest owner and operator of VLGCs with over 40 VLGCs. BW LPG ha s five decades of operating experience in LPG shipping, an in-house LPG trad ing division and a growing presence in LPG terminal infrastructure and distri bution. It is listed on the New York and Oslo Stock Exchanges.
About The Akshaya Patra Foundation: The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that strives to a ddress classroom hunger and malnutri tion in India. By implementing the PM POSHAN Scheme in government and g overnment-aided schools, Akshaya Pa tra aims to fight hunger and, at the sa me time, bring children to school. Sinc e 2000, Akshaya Patra has worked tow ards reaching out to children with wh olesome food every single school day. The Foundation is continuously levera ging technology to cater to millions of children. Its state-of-the-art kitchens h ave become a subject of study and att ract curious visitors from around the world.
As an implementing partner of the PM POSHAN with support of the Governm ent of India and various State Govern ments, Akshaya Patra has grown from humble beginnings serving just 1,500 school children across five schools to becoming one of the largest (not-for-profit run) school feeding programme, serving wholesome food to over 2.2 mi llion children from 23,000+ schools acr oss 16 states and 2 union territories in India.
For more details, please log on: www.akshayapatra.org