(openPR) - Centum Electronics Limited, leading designer and manufacturer of hi-tech electronic subsystems, modules and components, has pledged support to Akshaya Patra, the world’s largest school meal program which currently feeds over 8.05 lakh children across the country every day. Under this pledge, the company will sponsor the mid-day meals for 1,447 kids in seven government schools, for the next three years. The total cost for this noble deed will be Rs 17.5 lakh every year and the cumulative expenditure will be Rs 52 lakh

The public-private enterprise of Akshaya Patra which runs this mammoth school meal program is aided by central and state governments and private corporations. Commenting on the addition of one of major corporate sponsor to its growing list of stakeholders, Shri Madhu Pandita Das said, “To continue to feed the 8.5 lakh children everyday and also to reach its goal of feeding over a million children everyday by 2010, the foundation is very much dependent upon corporate participation in a big way. We are very grateful to Centum Electronics and to Mr. Apparao Maliavarapu, founder and managing director of Centum Electronics, for having been magnanimous in lending a hand to our efforts,”

“We are happy to support Akshaya Patra which is doing noble work for the welfare of the state and the people. Ours is a small gesture which we hope will prompt many others to do the same. It is important for India to fight illiteracy and hunger as we cannot call ourselves developed unless we can feed and educate all our children,” said Mr Apparao Maliavarapu, who is himself hold a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Dal Tech University in Canada was also a Ford Foundation scholar. He has played a instrumental role in taking his company to the forefront and is today recognised as a leading authority in the industry.

Featured in the 500 most valuable companies in India recently, Centum Electronics Limited Centum is one of the largest manufacturers and exporters of electronics products. The organisation is a vertically integrated company with capabilities in design, engineering and manufacturing. The company designs and manufactures products for telecommunications, automotive, industrial and defense and aerospace markets. Centum has received many quality and export awards from major industry bodies and the state and central governments.

MORE ABOUT AKSHAYA PATRA
Unlimited Food for Education.
(NATIONAL LEVEL SCHOOL MEAL PROGRAMME)

According to a UNESCO report, around 13.5 million children in the age group of 6-13 years are out of school in India. Despite the trillion-dollar economic growth, a large chunk of India’s younger generation, does not have access to schools because of poverty and malnutrition.

To facilitate the education of needy children, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, provides unlimited noon meals in schools in partnership with the Central and respective state governments of India. Currently the program is feeding 8,38,000 children in over 4,500 government, government aided schools and anganwadis (day care centers) in 13 locations across India on any given day.

They are Bangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Bellary, Mangalore and Mysore in Karnataka, Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh, Jaipur, Nathdwara and Baran in Rajasthan, Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar in Gujarat and Puri in Orissa. This is the largest NGO run school meal program in the world.

Veena D Souza
K2Communications Pvt. Ltd.
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Tel: 91 80 23337344, Telefax: 080 - 23549354
e-mail: veena.dsouza@k2communications.in
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