Aug 02, MYSORE, INDIA (DECCAN HERALD) — It was painful to see an unjustified political attack against one of the finest programmes, the Akshaya Patra (AP). AP has distinguished persons such as Sudha Murthy, Mohandas Pai of Infosys, Gururaj Deshpande an IIT alumnus, etc. who donate generously to supports its activities. If politicians have problems with ISKCON, let them not throw poisonous arrows at AP.
If one visits any government school at random and sees the way mid-day meals are cooked, he will be shocked. Only very few schools will meet the minimum hygiene standards. The centralized kitchens of AP are technology-intensive and can cook about 1,000,000 meals in less than five hours with the least human intervention and sustained quality. It is estimated that the cost of a meal prepared by AP is about Rs.5 whereas the cost reimbursed by the government is Rs.2 to Rs.2.50.
One of the criticisms of the politicians is that AP is demeaning India while raising funds abroad. Which is more demeaning? Portraying a true picture of India’s poverty, or the kind of democratic rule with the dubious distinction of leading the world corruption table which keeps people poor? When the U.S. president Obama has high praise for AP, our politicians are managing to find faults with it.
Speak Your Mind