FOOD RELIEF EFFORTS REPORT April 15, 2021 YATRI SEWA INITIATIVE LAUNCHED Serving migrant Workers in Mumbai

With the severity of the pandemic increasing across , migrant workers have once again begun to return home to ride out localised lockdowns in urban areas. With an increasing number of workers taking trains home, the office of the Central Railway reached out to Akshaya Patra, asking the Foundation to distribute bottles of water to protect travellers from dehydration in the summer heat.

Since April 12, 2021, Akshaya Patra has distributed 20,000 bottles at CSMT (Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) and 30,000 bottles at LTT Station (Lokmanya Tilak Terminus) in Mumbai. Distribution was done with the help of local NGO partners.

With the Rampant Spread of COVID-19 Across the Country, Migrant Workers will be hit hard again Amit Shekar, - a cab driver, tells his story

Employed as a cab driver, Shekhar had to walk for more than two days from Ghaziabad to Etawah, covering a distance of nearly 280 kilometres, when the nationwide lockdown was announced in March 2020. He had returned to Ghaziabad in late March 2021, hoping to repay the debt of Rs 3 With State governments announcing lockdowns and "The job loss, hunger will be lakhs, that he had borrowed after his mother was curfews in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases, migrant diagnosed with cancer late last year. worse this time as the COVID-19 workers could once again be staring at loss of wages and cases are much worse." lack of social protections, say Labour Union leaders and “I will have no option but to walk back home again,” laments 25-year-old Amit Shekhar. “I am Nirmal Gorana, General Secretary of the activists. really scared. If there’s a lockdown like before, Bandhua Mukti Morcha (Bonded Labour Workers in the informal sector have already begun to Liberation Front) how will we go back home? If we go back home, face wage loss due the curfews and lockdowns in some then lenders will ask for money. We don’t get any States like Maharashtra and National Capital Territory of work at our village or elsewhere. I have taken so much of money for treatment, how will I pay it

back? If lockdown is imposed again, we will die of hunger.” “Workers in the informal sector think that if there is a lockdown again, they could be When asked if he’s scared of contracting the virus, stranded and so have started returning to their villages. After the lockdown last year, the cab driver says, “I don’t know about many of these workers could not get back their jobs as the contractors who hired them coronavirus. But if there’s complete lockdown, did not want to take the responsibility of paying them lockdown wages.” we will certainly die of hunger.”. - Amarjeet Kaur, All-India Trade Union Congress General Secretary The source: The Quint Source: The Hindu

FOOD RELIEF EFFORTS AT A GLANCE Total Number of Meals Served*

Akshaya Patra Associate Foundations Total Servings Cooked Meals 3,77,63,782 2,29,16,558 6,06,80,340 Grocery Kits 9,78,041 41,835 10,19,876 Happiness Kits 10,17,409 - 10,17,409

Total Servings 9,82,93,446 2,46,73,628 12,29,67,074

*As on 15 April 2021 1 Food Relief Kit = 42/28 Meals 1 Happiness Kit = 20 Meals

Cumulative Meals Served since March 2020 7,00,00,000

6,00,00,000

5,00,00,000

4,00,00,000

3,00,00,000 *As on 20 January 2021

2,00,00,000

1,00,00,000

0

Cooked Meals Grocery Kits Happiness Kits

*As on 15 April 2021. Count in millions Includes meals served by Akshaya Patra and Associate Foundations

Happiness Kits Are Being Distributed in 39 Locations

Every Happiness Kit contains dry rations, educational supplies and an activity book (regional language), as well as hygiene products and a sanitary pack.

Happiness Kits Happiness Kit Distribution

Bangalore 1,82,213 Hyderabad 1,12,462 Hubli 80,868 VrindavanMeals Served by our Associated77,414 Foundations Ballari in , Andhra Pradesh50,761 and . Lucknow 48,293 Vadodara 35,153 Jaipur 32,983 Bikaner 31,174 Bhuj & Bhavnagar 30,656 Guwahati 28,321 Thane 27,342 Pune 26,285 Ahmedabad 22,623 Puri & Rourkela 22,380 Vizag 21,463 Nawabpet 20,000 Mangalore 17,672 Udaipur 15,625 Nathdwara 15,378 Bhubaneshwar 14,124 Surat 13,709 Nagpur 13,174 Delhi NCR 10,686 Silvassa 10,377 Ajmer 3,114 Jhalawar 7,714 Mysore 3,100 Warangal 7,500 Nellore Gorakhpur 6,728 3,100 Bhilai Baran 5,075 1,465 Haridwar 5,050 Vijayawada 417 Nayaghar 5,000 Cuttack 338 Jodhpur 4,400 Total Kits* 10,17,409 Chennai 3,272 Equivalent no. of meals 2,03,48,180

COVID-19 RELIEF EFFORTS

Dry Grocery Kits Are Being Delivered in 32 Locations

Every kit equals 42/28 meals depending on the location served, and includes an array of non-perishable foods like rice, dal (lentils), wheat or millet flour, fortified salt, sugar, and spices. Ingredients vary in every State to meet local tastes.

Cooked Meals Are Served in 28 Locations

Fresh meals served comprise of dal and rice, or khichadi/roti and subji.

Relief Efforts have also extended to Flood Relief in Bihar and , and distribution of grocery kits to pregnant and lactating mothers, and young children in Anganwadi Centres

GROCERY KITS

COOKED MEALS COVID-19 FOOD RELIEF List of Cities Kits Distributed List of Cities Meals Served EFFORTS 3,56,717 Hyderabad & Other Districts 2,24,86,977 Delhi NCR 1,21,360 Jaipur & Other Districts 73,93,392 LOCATIONS SERVED SINCE 25 MARCH 2020 Kandi 1,09,130 Jaipur & Other Districts 64,017 Delhi NCR 55,92,458 Meals Served by our Associated Foundations Lucknow & Other Districts 60,623 Bangalore 40,50,025 in Telangana, and Gujarat. Surat 37,18,100 Mumbai 44,713 Cooked Meals 2,29,16,558 Hyderabad 36,550 Ahmedabad & Other Districts 34,91,245 Vizag 26,951 Kandi 22,36,024 Dry Rations 41,835 Puri & Rourkela 26,003 Vadodara 21,33,820 Total Servings 2,46,73,628 Vrindavan & Agra 21,025 Bhilai 15,29,645 Pune 17,500 Ajmer 11,26,185 Ahmedabad 16,731 Mathura & Vrindavan 10,87,407 Mangalore 16,213 Lucknow 8,99,750 Dehradun & Other Districts 15,240 Vizag & Other Districts 7,87,364 Bhopal & Indore 15,000 Ballari 6,90,026 Guwahati 14,225 Bhuj 4,76,465 Vadodara 13,141 Silvassa 4,62,050 Vijayawada 8,200 Thane 4,04,835 Hubli 6,200 Pune 3,67,455 Nashik & Aurangabad 5,000 Bhilwara & Jhalawar 3,41,660 Ranchi 4,980 Nathdwara & Chittorgarh 3,35,899 Bhilai 3,610 Chennai 3,02,124 Silvassa 3,064 Chennai 2,850 Vijayawada 2,90,120 North Tripura 2,449 Hubli 1,51,784 Surat 2,133 Mysore 1,37,881 Nagpur 2,100 Mangalore 80,830 Nadia 1,000 Bhavnagar 57,100 Ludhiana 1,000 Nagpur 46,719 Through Food Relief Efforts, Akshaya Patra Baddi 1,000 and our Associated Foundations have served Puri 3,000 Mysore 766 Total Meals Served 6,06,80,340 12,29,67,074 meals since the first day of Bhuj & Bhavnagar 385 the nationwide lockdown. This includes Total Kits* 10,19,876 Happiness Kit distribution. Equivalent no. of meals 4,19,38,554

In the News

Newgen Software partners with Akshaya Patra Foundation

An Expert Speaking about the initiative, Priyadarshini Nigam, Head Corporate Communications and CSR at Newgen Software, “We partnered with The Akshaya Patra Foundation in 2019 to provide nutritious and fulfilling midday meals to approximately 9,000 underprivileged students in the remote areas of the country. This collaboration supports our vision of ensuring the holistic development of children and further augments our digital education programs.”

“At Newgen, we believe that good health and adequate nutrition are important factors in the growth and well-being of children in their formative years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to distribute 'Happiness Kits' comprising of monthly rations of non-perishable food items Read the full article here. for our students and their families with the help of Akshaya Patra Foundation at all project locations. Our combined efforts have been instrumental in supporting our students through the difficult time and giving them hope for a better tomorrow,” she further stated.

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Our Partners – Happiness Kit Initiative

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Our Partners – Happiness Kit Initiative

Our Partners – COVID-19 Relief Efforts

We are grateful to our donors for their overwhelming support

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