Hyderabad: US-based global investment firm Franklin Templeton has contributed five mid-day meal distribution vehicles to the Akshaya Patra Foundation, the world’s largest NGO-run school meal programme.
The foundation feeds over 1.6 million children in 25 different locations across nine States in the country. According to Satya Gaura Chandra Dasa, president, Akshaya Patra, Hyderabad, all the five vehicles were customized to maintain optimum temperature inside, increase the life of tyres and to retain the freshness of the meals.
“These five vehicles are in addition to the 25 vehicles in the Hyderabad unit, which will help transport freshly cooked and nutritious meals from the centralised kitchens in Patancheruvu to about 65,000 children in more than 450 schools in 11 mandals of Medak district and to about 35,000 Anganwadi beneficiaries,” he said.
Mr. Chandra Dasa said the total cost of the five vehicles was around Rs.60 lakh. Franklin Templeton had donated Rs.1.2 crore to the foundation, he added.
“In addition to the existing 30 vehicles, we require at least 30 more transporting vehicles,” he said, adding that the foundation was aiming to reach out to five million children by 2020.