The Akshaya Patra Foundation, for 20 years, has been a purveyor of the Mid-Day Meal Programme (MDM) supporting government school students in India with a hot nutritious lunch every school day, encouraging underprivileged children to remain enroled and complete their secondary education.

At its core, the Foundation aims at countering malnutrition while supporting the right to education of socio-economically disadvantaged children. The midday meal or breakfast served in schools serves as an incentive for children to attend school and for parents to send their children to school. Resulting in an improved enrolment rate in government schools, regular attendance, enhanced performance and nutritional profile of the children, while reducing the dropout rate. The arrangement also serves as a source of economic support to the family, as every school day one nutritious meal for their child is taken care of.

At present, beside serving children through the MDM Programme, Akshaya Patra continues to serve communities in need: