OREANDA-NEWS. January 29, 2013. As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has provided five meal distribution vehicles to the Akshaya Patra Foundation, Guwahati aimed at fulfilling their shared vision of creating a brighter future for deserving children.

Mr. B. Prasada Rao, Chairman & Managing Director, BHEL flagged off the vehicles at a ceremony held at Akshaya Patra’s kitchen in Amingaon, Guwahati. On the occasion, Mr. Rao said that BHEL is committed to the noble cause that Akshaya Patra has been working towards. Through this support, we hope to lend a helping hand to an organization that satisfies a child’s basic need of a filling meal.

The custom-designed vehicles will be used to distribute mid-day meals to children in government schools across Kamrup District. Akshaya Patra is currently feeding more than 1.5 million school children every day in 20 locations in 9 states across the country. The meal delivery vehicles will help transport hot, nutritious meals from their centralized kitchens to about 10,000 children every day. These meals give the children an incentive to go to school and stay in school, besides providing them with the necessary nutrients they need to develop their cognitive abilities to focus on learning.

Appreciating BHEL’s gesture, Mr. Janardhana Dasa, Unit President, Akshaya Patra Foundation-Guwahati, said “Corporates are the key to the success of Akshaya Patra programme. We are very happy that BHEL has partnered with us. Education is one key for India’s growth. We cannot benefit if our future generation is uneducated. With an objective to boost education and bring an end to classroom hunger, the mid day meal programme is being run in partnership with the Government of India and various state governments. With the support of philanthropic corporates like BHEL, we hope we will continue the good work.

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility and as an attempt to share its profits with one of its key stakeholders – society, BHEL has adopted several villages around the country for welfare activities. Primarily located in the vicinity of its major manufacturing plants, around the country, these villages and their inhabitants are benefiting from BHEL’s initiative aimed at all-round grass-root rural development.

BHEL has always taken a lead and has been playing a proactive role for the upliftment of weaker sections of society. The company has taken up these activities, not out of emotion, compassion or as an act of charity but because it believes that community development is an extension of the role and function of its business. BHEL’s approach to community development is based on an in-depth study of various socio-economic factors in areas in the periphery of its unit/divisions.

BHEL’s contribution towards discharging its Corporate Social Responsibility also includes free medical camps/charitable dispensaries, schools for the underprivileged and handicapped children, ban on child labour, disaster/natural calamity aid, employment for handicapped, widow resettlement, Employment for Ex-servicemen, irrigation using treated sewage, pollution checking camps, plantation of Lakhs of trees, energy saving and conservation of natural resources through environmental management.