Kakinada: A new centralized kitchen was formally inaugurated by the Honorable Minister of Road and Bridges, Dadisetti Raja, in the presence of His Grace Satya Gaura Chandra Dasa Swami ji, President of the Hare Krishna Movement Charitable Foundation and dignitaries from Aurobindo Pharma Foundation. The kitchen, located in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, has the capacity to prepare 5,000 breakfast meals per day for students in 41 government schools in the region.
The kitchen is powered by solar equipment and features state-of-the-art automated equipment, including an Idly batter dispenser, dough kneader, and a sambar cauldron, to maintain the highest levels of quality, hygiene, and speed while preparing the meals. In addition to the inauguration of the kitchen, a free breakfast program called “Swasthya Ahara” was also launched in the 41 government schools, providing underprivileged children with access to hot and nutritious meals.
Speaking at the event, Sri Satya Gaura Chandra Dasa Swami emphasized the importance of providing access to nutritious food, stating that it is the desire of the Hare Krishna Movement Charitable Foundation to ensure that no one goes hungry within a 10-mile radius of their center.
K Nityananda Reddy, Director of Aurobindo Pharma Foundation, highlighted the role that breakfast meals can play in stimulating children to come to school and continue their education, and emphasized the commitment of Aurobindo Pharma Foundation to improving the health status of rural children through the provision of nutritious and hygienic meals.
The Kakinada kitchen project, which has an outlay of INR 12 crores, was completed in a record time of four months and will be funded through a collaboration between the Hare Krishna Movement Charitable Foundation and Aurobindo Pharma Foundation.
It is part of a larger effort to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals of Zero Hunger and Quality Education, and will supplement government efforts to reduce dropout rates in schools through the provision of nutritious meals.
