Source ForPressRelease.com

Akshaya Patra Foundation, with the support of Sarva Mangal Family Trust and Balkrishna Industries Limited (BKT), inaugurated its new kitchen in Bhuj, Gujarat. Through this kitchen, Akshaya Patra will endeavor to implement various feeding programmes of the Government of Gujarat and benefit various sections of the society. The new kitchen, which will adhere to international standards of food safety and hygiene, is set to commence operations after Government approvals.



The kitchen was inaugurated by Dr Nimaben Acharya, MLA, Bhuj. The Guests of Honour for the event were Smt Lataben Solanki, President, Nagar Pallika, Bhuj; Shri Manubhai, Shri Raj Shah and Smt Rika Shah, Founders, Sarva Mangal Family Trust; and Shri Basant Kumar Bansal, CFO, BKT. Also present at the occasion were Shri Laxmansinh Sodha, Hon’ble President District Panchayat, Kutch; Smt Amrutben Rabadia, Sarpanch, Sukhpar, Bhuj; Shri Mukesh Zaveri, Director - Sardar Sarvar Nigam Limited; Shri Narendra Kumar, Plant Head, Balkrishna Industries and Shri V P Mathur, Head HR, Balkrishna Industries. The event was presided by Shri Jaganmohan Krishna Dasa – President, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, Gujarat.



The Foundation currently feeds around 4 lakh beneficiaries in Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Vadodara, Surat, and Kalol in Gujarat through its five centralised kitchens. The new kitchen, with a built-up area of 4244 sq.mt., will be the Foundation’s 6th kitchen in the state and 42nd kitchen in the country. It will be equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure with the capacity to cook around 2,500 kg rice, prepare over 21,000 rotis and process 1,200 kg of vegetables every hour, and a sukhdi making machine to make 225 kg sukhdi per batch. As a standard practice, it will also have an RO water plant and cold storage.



Shri Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice Chairman, Akshaya Patra, said, “It has always been our endeavour to reach out and serve the society while ensuring sustainability. We are immensely grateful to our donors and the Government, who have empowered and enabled us to build this kitchen.”



Shri Jaganmohan Krishna Dasa expressed, “We are thankful for the unwavering encouragement and support by our partners in building this centralised kitchen in Bhuj. I extend my sincere thanks to Shri Vinod Chavda, MP, Kutch, and Dr Nimaben Acharya, MLA, Bhuj for their support. I would also like to thank the Government of Gujarat for their continued support to our initiative in the State since we began our operations in 2009.”



The dignitaries present at the inauguration expressed their support and encouragement for this initiative to serve the people of Bhuj. They were unanimous in commending The Akshaya Patra Foundation, Sarva Mangal Family Trust, and BKT for the launch of the centralised kitchen.



Focusing on taste and health, Akshaya Patra’s meals are customised to suit the local palate in each state, so that they are not just nutritious, but also delicious. The menu in Gujarat includes dal dhokli, thepla, sukhdi, churmu, chakri and cookies which are popular in the local cuisine.