Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday inaugurated the Akshaya Patra Foundation's centralised kitchen in Gorakhpur, a facility capable of preparing meals for up to one lakh children daily. The project has been established with support from the Uttar Pradesh government and is aimed at strengthening nutritional support for schoolchildren under the Mid-Day Meal programme.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony as the chief guest, CM Yogi stressed the importance of nutrition and hygiene in ensuring children's well-being.
“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," he said.
The Chief Minister praised the Foundation's standards in meal preparation, stating, “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.”
Highlighting the expansion of the initiative in the state, CM Yogi said, “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 noted that while the government provides foodgrains and conversion costs, the Foundation manages meal preparation and distribution.
Emphasising food safety, 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 added, “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.”
CM Yogi said the initiative would contribute significantly to the state's nutrition goals. “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 realization of the vision of Viksit Bharat.”
He further stated, “Healthy children will also become the foundation of a prosperous society and a strong nation in the future.”
Linking nutrition with education, the Chief Minister 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 highlighted the state's education reforms, including Mission Kayakalp in basic schools and Project Alankar in secondary schools, aimed at improving infrastructure and learning outcomes.
Referring to the commencement of the new academic session, CM Yogi urged teachers to ensure universal enrolment and attendance. “Along with ensuring admission to the school, every child should be provided with a uniform, school bag, shoes, socks and all other required items,” he directed.
The Chief Minister also noted that “NITI Aayog has recognised the transformation of education in Uttar Pradesh over the past nine years as a success story.”
He said government and government-aided secondary schools have received enhanced funding under Project Alankar to create a safer and more conducive learning environment.
Highlighting improvements in examination processes, 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 across the state, while Abhyudaya Coaching centres are helping students prepare for competitive examinations.
Welcoming the Chief Minister, Akshaya Patra Foundation Co-founder and Vice Chairman Chanchalapati Das thanked the state government for its support. 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 Gorakhpur facility, operating under the PM Poshan Yojana, has the capacity to prepare and distribute one lakh nutritious meals daily for children in Gorakhpur and adjoining areas. The kitchen is equipped with two automated roti-making machines capable of producing 40,000 rotis every 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. Several public representatives and dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Following the inauguration, CM Yogi toured the kitchen facility, reviewed its operations and arrangements, and served meals prepared at the kitchen to schoolchildren. He also planted an Indian gooseberry (Amla) sapling within the campus.