Akshaya Patra Conferred Upon the Nikkei Asia Prize 2016

The Foundation is recognised under the Economic and Business Innovation category. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) May 31, 2016 - The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been honoured with the Nikkei Asia Prize to add to its rich credentials. Akshaya Patra is recognised for its contributions in the field of Economic and Business Innovation. Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman of The Akshaya Patra Foundation received the honour at the award ceremony of Nikkei Asia Prize on Sunday, May 29 in Tokyo. The winners have been awarded three million yen each along with a certificate by Naotoshi Okada, President, CEO of Nikkei Inc.

Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa is attending the official dinner of the "Future of Asia" conference on the evening of May 30, 2016. Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Shinzō Abe will be contributing his invaluable remarks to this event.

The Honourable Minister for Higher Education and Tourism, Karnataka R.V. Deshpande congratulated the entire team of The Akshaya Patra Foundation on being honoured with Nikkei Asia Prize.

Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa said, "I accept this honour and the prize of 3 million JYN, with a profound sense of gratitude to Nikkei Inc and with humility on behalf of our movement and for the benefit of those 1.5 million children whose lives has changed because of a wholesome meal day after day."

Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa also thanked the Government of India and all the State Governments for their continued support and encouragement. He added, "I would like to share this award with all my mentors, advisors, trustees, donors and friends and over 6000 staff members of the foundation who have given Akshaya Patra their valuable time, wisdom and support."

Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa stressed that people are not powerless to change this dire situation. "We can unleash the compensating force of compassion in the hearts of the rich to share their wealth, at least to meet the basic needs of humanity. It is only by promoting and awakening this virtue of compassion, and turning into action in human society, that we can make this world more inclusive, equitable and sustainable."

Nikkei Asia Prize, an annual award, is instituted to recognise outstanding achievements contributing to sustainable development and for a better future of Asia. Since 1996, Nikkei Inc., one of the largest media corporation in Japan has been presenting the awards to honour people in Asia who have made significant contributions in one of the three areas: 'Economic and Business Innovation,' 'Science, Technology and Environment' and 'Culture and Community.' Nikkei Inc. established these awards in 1996 in commemoration of the company's 120th anniversary.

About Madhu Pandit Dasa
Madhu Pandit Dasa designed the first centralised kitchen of Akshaya Patra, to provide mid-day meals to underserved children in the Government schools of Bengaluru's rural district during July 2000. Under his inspiring leadership and impeccable commitment, the organisation grew unceasingly towards its mission of feeding '5 million children by 2020.' It has grown from serving 1500 to 1.5 million children in 16 years, becoming the world's largest NGO-run school lunch programme. A Harvard case study, the Foundation has recently served its 2 billionth meal.

Madhu Pandit Dasa set up a robust Governance Model that has made Akshaya Patra a hallmark of transparency and accountability. It is highlighted by the fact that Akshaya Patra is the only NGO in the country to win the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) Gold Shield Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting five times in a row and placed in its prestigious Hall of Fame.

Madhu Pandit Dasa has completed his B.Tech in Civil Engineering from IIT-Mumbai in the year 1980. While he was doing his M.Tech course in IIT-Mumbai in 1981, he dedicated himself to the service of humanity by becoming a full-time member of ISKCON. Apart from being the Chairman of Akshaya Patra, he also serves as the President of ISKCON Bangalore and Chairman of Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir.

About The Akshaya Patra Foundation: The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Bengaluru, India. The organization strives to fight issues like hunger and malnutrition in India. By implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Government schools and Government aided schools, The Akshaya Patra Foundation aims not only to fight hunger but also to bring children to school.

Since 2000, the organisation has worked towards reaching more children with wholesome food on every single school day. Akshaya Patra Foundation is continuously leveraging technology to cater to millions of children. Its state-of-the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and they attract curious visitors from around the world. In partnership with the Government of India and various State Governments and inestimable support from many philanthropic donors and well-wishers; Akshaya Patra has grown from humble beginnings serving just 1,500 school children across 5 schools. Today, Akshaya Patra Foundation is the world's largest (not-for-profit run) mid-day meal programme serving wholesome food to over 1.5 million children from 11,360 schools across 10 states in India.

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