Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (PS/SB)

Mangalore, Jun 28: A custom-built vehicle for supplying hot mid-day meals to government schools in and around the city donated by Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (KIOCL) to the Akshaya Patra Foundation was flagged off by the chairman and managing director of KIOCL K Ranganath, director (P and P) K Subba Rao, executive director (P and P) and M B Padiyar at ISKCON, Balmatta here on Tuesday June 28.

K Ranganath handed over the key to Karunya Sagar Dasa, the president of the Mangalore unit of Akshaya Patra.

Speaking on the occasion, Ranganath said that even though it was a major setback for KIOCL that mining has been stopped in Kudremukh as per the Supreme Court’s order, under its corporate social responsibility the vehicle has been donated for a noble cause. The vehicle will provide long-term return for the needy, he said.

This is Akshaya Patra's ninth custom-built (Max pick-up) vehicle and has different compartments for keeping rice, sambar, and curds. The present vehicle helps the foundation to feed additional 2,000 children thereby taking its total feeding to 25,000 children in 143 schools of the city and nearby rural areas.

The Akshaya Patra started in Bangalore in 2000 feeding 1,500 children. Today over 13 lac children all over the country in 8 states and 18 locations stand benefitted by the project.