By Sekhar Seshan. Consulting Editor, Business India

Ask Shaheen Mohammad Ansari, a 14 year-old, about hunger. She knows the pangs well. Her family of four had no money to buy basic dry rations because their income dried up when the coronavirus pandemic hit. The teenager kept praying for a miracle which would give her family access to food so that all of them could satiate their hunger. Her prayers were answered when she and her family became among the first to benefit from the partnership between The Akshaya Patra Foundation and Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd, through which families like hers got hot and nutritious meals.

With hunger having become more prominent during the pandemic, starvation and malnutrition became more serious for the economically-challenged sections of society. Crompton, with a brand legacy of 75-plus years, tied up with Akshaya Patra and sponsored 90,000 hygienic, nutritious and freshly-cooked meals to the affected communities across Vadodara in Gujarat, near its manufacturing facility in Padra. The children were also provided ‘Happiness Boxes’, consisting of immunity, hygiene and education materials, for a month to ensure that they have access to basic nutrition and education.

Crompton, which began its collaboration with Akshaya Patra in October 2019, provided constant support to mid-day meals for 7,000-plus children in 41 government schools close to it plant. This has resulted in the highest number of working school days recorded during the first three months of the current year.