Deutsche Bank serves seven crore mid-day meals to students in partnership with TAPF
The nine-year partnership supports the PM POSHAN Scheme to address hunger and illiteracy among children in India
Bengaluru, June 2, 2023: On June 2, Deutsche Bank, in partnership with The Akshaya Patra Foundation, served the seven croreth (70 millionth) mid-day meal to school children at an event in GHPS Ejipura School, Bengaluru. The event included a felicitation ceremony for meritorious students and students with the best attendance. Earlier in the day, Deutsche Bank volunteers helped prepare the food that was served to the children.
Over the past nine years, Deutsche Bank, through its Corporate Social Responsibility Born to Be programme, has joined Akshaya Patra’s mission to eradicate hunger in classrooms. During this period, the partnership has helped alleviate hunger and countered malnutrition for over three lakh children from marginalised backgrounds. The bank also supports the operation of the Foundation’s kitchens in Bengaluru and Jaipur, ensuring the preparation of hygienic and nutritious school lunches for students.
Hunger and malnutrition are some of the major causes of low enrolment, increased absenteeism and early dropouts in schools, among the estimated nine crore children from low-income backgrounds in India. Akshaya Patra’s support for the Government of India’s PM POSHAN Scheme (earlier known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme) comes as a relief for many families who send their children to school, knowing they will receive a nourishing meal. Sometimes, this is the only substantial meal that the child eats in a day. The mid-day meals have also improved students’ academic performance and concentration in the classroom and facilitated better socialisation, the dismantling of social hierarchies and fostering of a sense of equality amongst students.
Khurshed Dordi, Group Chief Operating Officer, Deutsche Bank India said, “Empowering children to realise their full potential is one of the core components of our CSR strategy. Combating hunger and malnutrition among children from marginalised communities is crucial to achieving this objective. Through our long-standing partnership with Akshaya Patra, we are delighted to witness the tangible impact we are making on education and the overall development of children.”
Speaking about the achievement, Shridhar Venkat, Chief Executive Officer of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, said, “We are immensely grateful to Deutsche Bank for their unwavering support and commitment in our journey to alleviate hunger among school children. The successful collaboration between Akshaya Patra and Deutsche Bank showcases the power of public-private partnerships in creating lasting social impact. The 7 crore (70 million) meals served reflect the power of our shared vision and the profound impact we can create when we work together. Together with Deutsche Bank, we are making a tangible difference in the lives of millions of children, empowering them with education and nourishment.”
The latest data from the Government of India reveals that the PM POSHAN scheme covers about 11.80 crore children studying in 11.20 lakh government and government-aided schools across the country.
For further information, please contact:
Deeptha Rajkumar
Email: deeptha.rajkumar@db.com
About Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank is Germany’s leading bank, with a strong position in Europe and a significant presence in the Americas and Asia Pacific. The bank provides commercial and investment banking, retail banking, transaction banking and asset and wealth management products and services to corporations, governments, institutional investors, small and medium-sized businesses and private individuals.
The Deutsche Bank group has been operating in India since 1980 with a strong presence in the businesses of corporate and investment banking, retail banking, private wealth management and global business services. With nearly 18,000 staff and operations across 18 locations in India, the group is recognised as one of the leading foreign financial service providers in India.
As a corporate citizen, Deutsche Bank enables economies and communities to prosper, creating a positive impact on people and society at large. The bank’s initiatives have a strategic focus on education, enterprise, community and the environment. The bank’s staff also actively supports the bank‘s corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. In 2022, more than 200,000 people in India benefited from the bank’s CSR programmes and one in four of their employees volunteered to support various causes.
About The Akshaya Patra Foundation
The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that strives to address classroom hunger and malnutrition in India. By implementing the PM POSHAN Scheme (formerly known as Mid-Day Meal Scheme) in government and government-aided schools, Akshaya Patra aims to fight hunger and, at the same time, bring children to school. Since 2000, Akshaya Patra has worked towards reaching out to children with wholesome food every single school day. The Foundation is continuously leveraging technology to cater to millions of children. Its state-of-the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and attract curious visitors from around the world.
In partnership with the Government of India and various state governments and with the inestimable support of many philanthropic donors and well-wishers, Akshaya Patra has grown from humble beginnings serving just 1,500 school children across five schools to becoming one of the largest (not-for-profit run) mid-day meal programme in the world, serving wholesome food to over 2 million children from 22,367 schools in 67 kitchens across 15 states and 2 union territories in India.
For more details: https://www.akshayapatra.org/
