Jammu, May 21 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (L-G), Manoj Sinha, on Thursday laid the foundation stone of Akshaya Patra’s centralised kitchen facility in Katra.

Once operational, this facility will provide 5,000 nutritious meals to school children every day.

On the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor also spoke about Akshaya Patra’s future projects in the Union Territory, including upcoming kitchen facility in Jammu.

“I urged stronger collaboration between government and social organisations to empower younger generation. We must ensure that school children receive balanced, nourishing meals.”

“Every child deserves access to healthy food and we need to make sure no child is left behind,” L-G Sinha said.

The Lieutenant Governor spoke on legacy in ordinary life, emphasising that it rests on three questions — what are we creating, what are we preserving, and what will we hand over to future generations?

He said we must add another question to that list: what are we feeding our children?

He also added that nutrition of our young generation will shape our country’s future.

The L-G said that a hungry child cannot learn, and a school that cannot feed its children cannot honestly create equal opportunities for progress.

He added that decades of global research and their outcomes have shown that nutrition and education are not separate things; education rests on the foundation of good nutrition.

“Children who eat balanced, nutritious meals concentrate better, retain information more effectively, and participate more actively in class.”

“Protein, vitamins, and a balanced diet supply the basic energy for thinking and understanding of a child. I want every school in Jammu and Kashmir to remember, when we provide nutritious meals in schools, we are not merely filling stomachs but we are shaping future thinking,” the L-G said.

“The next generation is not just our future but they are the living expression of the dream and aspiration we wish to build as a nation. Their education, health, and confidence are a shared pledge and a collective responsibility of society. The values, knowledge, and faith we instill in children today will shape Jammu and Kashmir’s and India’s in the coming decades,” he added.

On the occasion, the L-G applauded selfless service of Akshay Patra, which is among the world’s largest NGOs in the school meal sector, currently serving more than 20 lakh children across 16 states and 3 Union Territories.

He also served the meal to the school students.

Bharatarshabha Dasa, National President and Trustee, The Akshaya Patra Foundation; Baldev Raj Sharma, Member of Legislative Assembly, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi; Kuldeep Raj Dubey, Member of Legislative Assembly from Reasi; Mandeep K. Bhandari, Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha; Ram Niwas Sharma, Commissioner/Secretary School Education Department; Bhim Sen Tuti, Kashmir IGP; Ramesh Kumar, Jammu Divisional Commissioner; Shiv Kumar Sharma, DIG Udhampur-Reasi Range; Kumar Abhishek, Reasi Deputy Commissioner; Uday C. Rege from Savita Oil Technologies; senior officials, members of Akshaya Patra Foundation, and students in large number attended the ceremony.

–IANS

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