Ahmedabad, August 14, 2020: Cadila Pharma in association with Akshaya Patra foundation distributed kits with essential food items to the families of 3000 students in the month of July and August to continue providing healthy meals to these students.
The Akshaya Patra foundation and Cadila Pharmaceuticals have been sponsoring the unlimited mid-day meals for 10,863 students studying in 38 Government Primary Schools of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar districts.
“Akshaya Patra and Cadila Pharmaceuticals have had a long association. Thousands of communities were affected when the country went under lockdown. One of the affected communities were children of govt. schools who were deprived of nutritious mid-day meals. We appreciate the support extended throughout by Cadila Pharma,” said Raya Rama Dasa, Vice President, Akshaya Patra foundation
These children belong to families with weak economic status and have limited access to educational and health resources. Since the lockdown, many families were affected, especially the kids as they could not go to schools and avail the mid-day meals. This caused a loss of not only education but their health suffered.
“By caring for the community we ensure that the care continues for all, an ethos we sincerely believe in. We launched this initiative in July and want to reach all 10,863 students and make sure they can have healthy meals. This program has been initiated in association with the collector office, education department and local panchayat of various villages along with Akshaya Patra Foundation. We have currently touched primary schools of Kaptanpura, Moti Bhoyan-1&2, Bhimasan village and many others in Gandhinagar and Bharuch and plan to reach more in the coming months” said B.V. Suresh, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
The essential kits contain 11 grocery items (Tur Dal, Desi Chana, Cottonseeds Oil, Red Chilly Powder, Turmeric Powder, Dhaniya Powder, Mustard Seeds, Salt, Jaggery, Roasted Groundnut, Roasted Chana). This kit comes as an addition to wheat and rice being distributed by the government. The parents of these students were called for collection of these kits. The distribution is done in slots to avoid crowding and maintain social distancing. Along with the items, guidelines to protect oneself from COVID-19 printed in the local language are also being distributed to raise awareness.
Cadila Pharma has always been active with its CSR initiatives. In the month of June, Cadila Pharma distributed more than 5000 essential kits, sanitizers, and masks to those affected by lockdown. In addition to this, the Kaka-Ba hospital, a charitable hospital in Hansot district, Ankleshwar has been treating patients free of cost for their illnesses. Cadila Pharma is an active contributor to child education initiatives, has planted more than 80,000 trees in the past year and has been involved in the development of villages.