In order to get an understanding of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in India and management of centralised kitchens in Akshaya Patra, six delegates from Bangladesh visited the Foundation’s Bengaluru and Lucknow kitchens from July 17 to 20, 2017. They included:

•  Mr Golam Md. Hashibul Alam – Additional Secretary, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Government of Bangladesh
•  Mr Satakem Sen – Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Government of Bangladesh
• Mr Md. Abdul Mannan – Assistant Project Director, School Feeding Programme in the Poverty-Prone Areas, Government of Bangladesh
•  Mr Jewel Bhaowmik – Assistant Chief, Socio-Economic Infrastructure Division, Planning Commission, Government of Bangladesh
•  Mr Syed Muntasir Ridwan – Programme Assistant, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Bangladesh
• Mr Abu Ahmed Shamim – Consultant, GAIN, Bangladesh

GAIN, in Bangladesh, is supporting the formulationof a National School Feeding Policy with Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MoPME) and Planning Commission of Bangladesh. The team thought that Akshaya Patra is a good model to study the successful implementation of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in a public-private partnership and that they can incorporate valuable inputs which can be replicated in Bangladesh.

The visit included interactions with Shridhar Venkat – CEO, The Akshaya Patra Foundation and HODs (Head of the Department). During their visit the delegates observed kitchen operations and also interacted with beneficiary children of the Foundation and spoke to the school administration about the Mid-Day Meal Programme. Later, the team met government officials, including Joint Director – Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Bengaluru and Director – Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Lucknow, for a detailed understanding of the scheme.