Akshaya Patra and Newgen collaborate to distribute Happiness Kits to MDM Beneficiaries in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan

New Delhi, September 2, 2021: The Akshaya Patra Foundation and Newgen Software have collaborated to distribute Happiness Kits among Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme beneficiaries in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. With schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Newgen has been supporting Akshaya Patra’s efforts to take education and nutrition to children’s doorstep through the Happiness Kits initiative. These kits contain dry ration and hygiene products to take care of their health and stationery with activity books to ensure that their learning process continues at this difficult hour.

As of February 2021, 17,378 Happiness Kits have been distributed in Vrindavan and Lucknow cities of Uttar Pradesh and Jhalawar in Rajasthan over two phases, i.e., 8,689 kits in each phase. For the FY21-22, Newgen has donated ₹40.58 lakhs to distribute 3,515 Happiness Kits to government school children and their families in Jhalawar and 1,684 Happiness Kits in Vrindavan. As of 04 August, 2021, 22,577 kits were distributed among beneficiaries in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan with the support of Newgen.

Mr Sundeep Talwar, CMO, Akshaya Patra, said “We are immensely grateful to Newgen for their continued support to our efforts towards addressing hunger and malnutrition in the country. It has been an esteemed partner for us for several years. With this collaboration for the Happiness Kits distribution, Newgen has taken this partnership beyond the school feeding programme, thus enabling us to create an impact that is vital to humanitarian efforts in such times of adversity.” He further added, “I want to thank the Government of Uttar Pradesh and Government of Rajasthan for providing the opportunity to serve children and communities during the pandemic, and lastly, the Government of India for placing their trust and confidence in our service and supporting and encouraging us for over two decades.”

Newgen has been supporting Akshaya Patra under their CSR Initiative (Health and Education) for the Mid-Day Meal Programme. Its support over the years has enabled the Foundation to ensure the health and education of 8,689 children in Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh), Jhalawar (Rajasthan) and Guwahati (Assam).

Akshaya Patra has been undertaking relief feeding in 20 states and one union territory through its network of kitchens. Since March 2020, the Foundation has served over 16 crore meals to people from vulnerable communities who are facing difficulty arranging food for themselves due to the COVID-19 pandemic and containment measures to curb the outbreak. These include over 13.65 lakh Happiness Kits that have been distributed in multiple locations across the country.