The Akshaya Patra Foundation, in association with the Hans Foundation, conducted the Bhumi Puja (an Indian ritual performed before constructing a building) for building its first centralised kitchen in the state of Uttarakhand. This facility will serve nutritious and wholesome mid-day meals to over 30,000 children in the district of Dehradun. The Bhumi Puja ceremony was held at the proposed kitchen site in Sudhowala Village, Off Chakrata Road, Dehradun.

Honourable Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat was the Chief Guest for the ground-breaking ceremony. The other dignitaries present as Guest of Honour were: Shri Arvind Pandey, Education Minister; Shri Bhole Ji Maharaj, and Smt. Mangala Mataji, Founders of Hans Foundation; Shri Balaraj Passi, Former Member of Parliament; Shri Sahadev Singh Pundir, MLA Sahaspur, and other MLAs of Dehradun district. The event was presided by Shri Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation.

Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat, Honourable Chief Minister of Uttarakhand said, “Our government is committed to ensuring that our children are educated and well nourished. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is known for setting up state-of-the-art kitchens which leverage technology to cook hygienic, nutritious and tasty meals. We welcome Akshaya Patra to Uttarakhand and look forward to an enduring partnership in the service of children.”

The upcoming semi-automated kitchen will house a roti (Indian flatbread) machine which can produce over 20,000 rotis in an hour and cauldrons with the capacity to cook 3,700 litres of dal (lentils) and 6,000 litres of rice per day. This kitchen in Sudhowala will be the first of the three kitchens to be set up in Dehradun. The other two kitchens will also be constructed on similar lines to cover beneficiary children in the plain areas.