Gland Pharma Extends its Support to Akshaya Patra
Gland Pharma Limited, a leading Indian pharmaceutical company that has been an active supporter of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, has inaugurated new idli machines at Akshaya Patra’s Hyderabad Kitchen in Kandi for their Breakfast Programme. Gland Pharma is supporting this programme in the schools of Hyderabad and Vizag for 13,650 children.
Akshaya Patra offers daily breakfast (on school working days) to the children through the breakfast programme, which is a one-of-its-kind feeding initiative. The newly inaugurated machine will have a capacity of making 2,000 idlis in 15-20 minutes. It has a pulveriser, mixing, automatic unloading of idli batter, temperature-controlled cooking chamber, hygienic handling of food, and requires no human touch from start to end. Thus, it will prove to be a very important tool to facilitate the requirement of around 45,000 idlis with ease and speed. The Breakfast Programme was started in Hyderabad in November 2019 in the presence of Mr. Srinivas Sadu, the MD and CEO of Gland Pharma Limited, and later at Visakhapatnam in February 2020.
“Breakfast is the most crucial meal of the day, but pupils from underserved communities frequently skip it owing to financial constraints. Through this programme, we want to ensure that children start the day with a good breakfast that aids in improving their general health and academic performance. We believe in endeavours that are supplemented by their strong sense of responsibility towards people, patients, communities and environment, and will continue to support Akshaya Patra through various initiatives” said Mr. Srinivas Sadu.
Speaking about the support, Mr. Shridhar Venkat, CEO –The Akshaya Patra Foundation, said, “We are very grateful to Gland Pharma for their support to our breakfast programme in Hyderabad and Vizag. We are fortunate that Gland Pharma and Akshaya Patra have joined hands for this programme that would enable us to serve nutritious mid-day meals to thousands of children.”
The company has been an active contributor to Akshaya Patra’s breakfast feeding, Happiness Kits, as well as Sanitization Programs. During the COVID lockdown, over 32,032 Happiness Kits were distributed to the beneficiaries of Gland Pharma sponsored schools, with Akshaya Patra’s support. The kits contained several items that catered to the children’s nutritional support and assisted them in bridging the learning gap. Besides, they have also provided sanitization supplies and awareness documentation in 110 schools for 16,502 children to ensure a safe and secure learning space for the children. The Kits comprised non-invasive thermometers, sanitizer solution dispensers, face masks, plastic water bottles, gloves and caps.
The new Idili machine was inaugurated and dedicated for the Breakfast programme at Akshaya Patra’s Kandi kitchen on 13th November 2021 in the presence of the Trustees of Gland-Fosun Foundation – Mr. K Raghuraman, Mr. P. Sampath Kumar, Ms. Shilpi Sahay and Ms. S. Swathi. On behalf of Akshaya Patra, Shri Yagneshwara Prabhu, Vice President, Hyderabad Akshaya Patra Chapter, Ms. Rajini Sinha, State Head was present at the event.