In the bustling city of Mumbai, where socioeconomic disparities prevail between the privileged and the vulnerable, several philanthropic and social sector organisations are stepping up to address the pressing issue of hunger. Among them, Akshaya Chaitanya, an NGO driven by compassion and a vision for a better society, has launched the Swasthya Ahara campaign.
This initiative has provided vital support to over 1,09,534 patients across multiple hospitals in Mumbai, saving an estimated INR 13 crore in treatment and medical expenses. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Akshaya Chaitanya's centralized kitchen continues to serve nutritious meals to underprivileged patients. Additionally, the NGO runs the Bal Shiksha Ahara programme in municipal schools and the Paushtik Ahara programme in slum areas, ensuring meals for children in need.
Looking ahead, the organisation has ambitious plans to expand its initiatives and geographical reach, striving for wider impact.
In an exclusive interview with TheCSRUniverse, Vikas Parchhanda, the organisation's CEO, sheds light on the inspiring journey behind Akshaya Chaitanya and the transformative effect of the Swasthya Ahara program, which not only addresses hunger but also improves healthcare for the underprivileged attending public hospitals. He also highlights the NGO's aim to transform its cause into a people's movement.
To delve deeper into Akshaya Chaitanya's impactful work, read the complete interview below.
Q&A
Q. What inspired Akshaya Chaitanya to launch the Swasthya Ahara campaign, and what were some of the challenges you faced while implementing it?
Akshaya Chaitanya, an initiative by Hare Krishna Movement, was driven by the vision to eradicate hunger and vulnerability among the underprivileged in urban areas, enabling them to pursue their dreams. Mumbai, with its extreme socioeconomic inequities, served as the inspiration for this initiative.
Swasthya Ahara programme is a humble initiative to serve the underprivileged in-patient attendees in public hospitals. This Public Hospital Feeding programme serves vulnerable families of over 8,000 patients hospitalised in 19 government hospitals, which further helps them save on medication expenses while maintaining their own health to support their loved ones.
We provide nourishing and complimentary meals to beneficiaries at multiple public hospitals in Mumbai. The recipients primarily come from the economically disadvantaged strata, with modest incomes. Oftentimes, they hail from remote or rural areas. The program not only ensures that families can allocate their resources towards the patient’s medical needs but also promotes their well-being, enabling them to provide optimal care for the patient’s swift recovery within Mumbai’s public hospitals.
Food is a precious gift from the divine, generously provided to every living entity, from the tiniest ant to the majestic elephant. However, the scarcity of food is a problem created by mankind. Our initiative is dedicated to addressing this issue and serving humanity by working towards closing the gap and ensuring that no one goes hungry.
Implementing the initiative in Mumbai posed various challenges, including high costs, arduous approvals, securing a suitable site, building a centralized kitchen during the COVID-19 lockdown, limited access to corporate CSR funds, and expanding the program to cover all public hospitals in the city.
Q. How has the Swasthya Ahara campaign impacted the lives of vulnerable families of admitted patients in Mumbai's public hospitals, and what are some of the key factors that have contributed to its effective implementation?
In 2022-23
• Family members of 1,09,534 vulnerable patients were supported across 18 hospitals in Mumbai with a free lunch and dinner meal
• 13,03,456 meals to beneficiaries helped save INR 13 crore for treatment & medical expenses
Key factors for effective implementation:
• Cooperation from BMC, DMER and TMC via a MoU to enable serving the vulnerable inside the 19 hospitals
• Centralized kitchen to ensure a top quality, wholesome and hot meal to 8000 beneficiaries, 365 days in a year
• CSR support from corporates like TLC Legal, Reliance Foundation, JB Pharma, Panasonic, Jewelex, Mahanagar Gas
Q. Can you share some success stories and key achievements of the Swasthya Ahara campaign, in terms of the number of beneficiaries served, funds raised, and impact created?
The widespread adoption of the Swasthya Ahara program in all government hospitals in Mumbai showcases its remarkable success. Families, whether local or from outside the city, can now prioritize their loved ones’ treatment, knowing that Akshaya Chaitanya is looking after their food requirements. This accomplishment underscores Mumbai’s dedication to providing nourishment for every vulnerable individual in public hospitals.
Q. How does Akshaya Chaitanya ensure the quality, nutrition, and hygiene of the meals served under the Swasthya Ahara campaign?
Akshaya Chaitanya maintains stringent standards to ensure the quality, nutrition, and hygiene of the meals served. Our well-designed setup, modern equipment, and highly skilled staff surpass even the best restaurants in Mumbai in terms of quality.
Our set-up is FSSAI certified and we started implementing processes and records for ISO 22000 certification in the 2nd year of operations. A dedicated quality department ensures hygiene in kitchen and distribution operations, conducts sensory and temperature checks for all batches, and preserves food samples for 48 hours for random microbial testing. The menus are carefully designed based on deep research on nutritional value, and nutritional measurements are performed every six months to ensure a balanced diet for beneficiaries.
Q. Besides Swasthya Ahara, what other feeding initiatives is the organisation currently undertaking to fight hunger in Mumbai, and what impact have they had so far?
Akshaya Chaitanya is actively involved in two additional feeding initiatives in Mumbai:
Bal Shiksha Ahara: This breakfast and lunch program benefits nearly 8,000 children in 109 municipal schools in Byculla, aiming to encourage regular classroom attendance and eliminate classroom hunger. The program has already shown an improvement of up to 22% in attendance.
Paushtik Ahara: This lunch meal program supports over 450 migrant children in four slum areas of Mumbai, providing assistance for their informal education. In the year 2022-23, the program facilitated the admission of 38 children into formal schooling.
Q. How does Akshaya Chaitanya mobilize funds, and how are they utilized towards beneficiary activities? Also, can you tell us about some of the corporate and individual donors who support Akshaya Chaitanya, and what is their contribution to the organisation's success?
We mobilize 80% of our funds from corporates, 10% from High Net Worth Individuals (HNIs), and the remaining balance from individual donors through various platforms. With minimal administrative expenses, over 96% of the funds are dedicated to serving the beneficiaries.
The initiative was founded by Late Shri Gowrishankar, a former IRS officer, and Shri Vipin Jain, a prominent legal professional. TLC Legal laid the foundation for the initiative, and it is funded by Reliance Foundation as the chief programme sponsor. Other supporters include JB Pharma, Panasonic, Jewelex, Mahanagar Gas, and the Shipping Corporation of India.
Q. Can you tell us more about the unique approach of Akshaya Chaitanya towards addressing the issue of hunger, and how it sets you apart from other organisations in this space?
Akshaya Chaitanya stands out with its unique approach in several aspects:
Scale of execution: The organisation aims to serve 100,000 beneficiaries daily in Mumbai alone, addressing hunger among the vulnerable population. Our current setup can produce meals for 20,000 beneficiaries.
Best-in-class quality and consistency: With a well-designed setup, modern equipment, and highly skilled staff, Akshaya Chaitanya ensures stringent standards for quality, nutrition, and hygiene. We strive to surpass the standards set by the best restaurants in Mumbai.
Credible and transparent execution: Akshaya Chaitanya maintains open operations and accounts, inviting donors to suggest optimizations and contribute to serving beneficiaries better.
Q. How does the organisation plan to expand its initiatives and serve more beneficiaries in and beyond Mumbai, and what are its long-term goals? Additionally, how do you engage people, especially local communities to contribute to this mission?
By 2025, Akshaya Chaitanya aims to establish four to five centralized setups in Mumbai, serving 100,000 beneficiaries daily and covering the entire city. Building on our impactful work, we plan to expand our corporate and HNI support base, working towards a hunger-free Mumbai.
The organisation also explores options to extend its presence beyond Telangana, Maharashtra, and Gujarat to other cities, including Kolkata.
To engage people, Akshaya Chaitanya invites them to visit our kitchen and distribution sites, witness the genuine and impactful work happening on the ground, and become brand ambassadors to spread the word. We aspire to transform this initiative into a people’s movement, encouraging everyone to contribute to the cause.
Q. What has been the most significant learning for Akshaya Chaitanya while working towards its mission of eradicating hunger for the underprivileged in Mumbai?
We have recognised the importance of leveraging local administration and mobilizing the masses to tackle the problem of hunger effectively.
