Vrindavan, Feb 11(UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday underlined that for a strong nation, well-nourished children is the need of the hour.
"In the last 55 months, the central government has stressed on the health of mother and child. We have stressed on vaccination", PM said at an event here marking the three billionth meal offered by NGO Akshaya Patra.
“Under the present circumstances, it is being ensured that adequate and good quality food is available for children. For this, all the people associated with the Akshay Patra, right from the cooks to the people who cook food and serve it, everyone is helping the nation," said Mr Modi.
He said, “these efforts best illustrate the journey from ‘I’ to ‘We’. When ‘I’ becomes ‘We,’ then we go beyond ourselves and think about the society. When ‘I’ becomes ‘We,’ then we expand the horizons of our thinking. ‘We’ gives more importance to our country, our culture than our individual self.”
Mr Modi also said that cow has been an important part of India's culture and tradition and the present government has taken several steps to improve the health of cattle.
"We cannot repay the debt of cow's milk. Cow is an important element of India's tradition and culture," Mr Modi added.
In 2012, Akshaya Patra reached its first major milestone of serving one billion cumulative meals since the inception of the programme in 2000, the Foundation claimed.
"By 2016, the organisation had already served cumulative two billion meals. This milestone was commemorated in the presence of Pranab Mukherjee, the then President, on August 27 that year in Bengaluru," the NGO said, adding that they are eyeing to serve meals to 5 million children every school by 2025.
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