On the 5 December 2019, the National Health Authority (NHA) signed an agreement with The Akshaya Patra Foundation, HelpAge India, and Bharti Foundation to increase the reach and awareness of the ‘Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana’ (PMJAY) Scheme. Representatives of the above-mentioned organisations namely, Ms Geetali Tare, Executive Director, NHA; Mr Sundeep Talwar, CMO, The Akshaya Patra Foundation; Ms Mamta Saikia, CEO, Bharti Foundation, and Mr Matthew Cherian, CEO, HelpAge India singed the MoUs in the presence of Dr. Indu Bhushan, CEO, NHA and Dr. Praveen Gedam Deputy CEO, NHA.

According to the MoU, NHA will use networks of the three organizations to reach out to prospective beneficiaries for enrolment under this scheme. In order to create awareness about its benefits, NHA will run community campaigns, rallies, etc. According to Indu Bhushan, the CEO of ABPMJAY and NHA, the presence of these organizations in rural areas will help in detailing the benefits of the scheme at the grass root levels across the whole country. Akshaya Patra will help raise awareness by its school network.

In reference to the MoU, Chief Marketing Officer of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, Sundeep Talwar said that the partnership with National Health Authority will be an additional step in taking forward quality healthcare for eligible kids and their families. Efforts will be made to spread the benefits of the scheme so that they can have a brighter future. Akshaya Patra works in tandem with the Government to eliminate classroom hunger by providing mid-day meals to Government and Government-aided schools.