Moscow may lose its sole Hare Krishna temple

The temporary site where Russian devotees of the Hare Krishna Movement or ISKCON pray is likely to be demolished, Krishna.ru, a site run by Russian ISKCON followers said.

The movement has faced several bureaucratic hurdles in its quest to have a permanent structure to conduct its religious activities. When the ISKCON temple situated near the Begovaya metro station (in the centre of Moscow) was demolished in 2004, the Moscow government allotted land for construction of a new temple at the Leningradsky Prospekt (north of Moscow). This land was subsequently taken away.

In 2006, the Moscow government promised to build a temple in the Molzhaninovo district (10 km from the Moscow ring road) as part of the joint declaration signed by the Moscow and New Delhi governments. A Russian Orthodox Church has since been built in Delhi.

Despite all clearances for the project for the temple to be built in Molzhaninovo, the Moscow government cancelled the project. The authorities of the Northern administrative district of Moscow have also threatened to demolish the temporary site where Moscow-based ISKCON followers pray.

Moscow is believed to have 20,000 followers of the ISKCON movement. 

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Akshaya Patra suppliers to be engaged for midday meals: Manohar Parrikar

TIMES OF INDIA: PANAJI: Schools where the parent teacher association and the headmaster are unwilling to take responsibility of checking the quality of food being served under the midday meal scheme, will face the discontinuation of the supply of meals until the state comes up with a better system, chief minister Manohar Parrikar said on Monday.

Goa education officials have visited Karnataka to observe implementation of the Akshaya Patra scheme, popular for its hygienic meals being supplied to schools by ISKCON, Parrikar said.

"I cannot set a deadline, but we will engage the Akshaya Patra suppliers in Goa. The meals supplied will be of local taste. We may set a few 100% hygienic kitchens as per the Karnataka suppliers' needs," Parrikar said.

Till the new system is implemented, the directorate of education (DoE) has registered more self-help groups, which schools can choose from to supply midday meals, he said. "The schools can choose one group from the existing ones and the new ones registered with us and can inspect their kitchens. Schools will also be able to choose a menu best-suited for its children. We are thinking of discontinuing sheera, which is not preferred by many children and moong dal ussal may be supplied instead. Pao bhajji, which is liked by most students, can be supplied more than once a week," the education minister said.

He said that DoE will issue a circular with clear cut guidelines for schools to act on in the new few days.

"After the circular is issued, schools that still do not want to take responsibility can write to us letting us know about it. We will temporarily discontinue their midday meal supply until a better system is in place. I can provide manpower to carry out inspections of the midday meal, but I cannot go and take responsibility for each and every meal if there are spiders and insects found," Parrikar said. He said that a South Goa food and drugs administration office is also being set up that will intensify its inspections of the midday meal suppliers' kitchens.

"In the Usgao case, no contamination has been found by the FDA. Doctors that treated the students said that only one child vomited and others were only under observation. The level of pathogenic bacteria increases in the air in this season and could be a reason," Parrikar said.

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Land row: Scuffle at Iskcon Temple Secunderabad

THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS: Nearly a thousand followers of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) assembled at the Iskcon temple in Secunderabad on Sunday and demanded immediate withdrawal of the notification served by the special-grade deputy collector for temple land acquisition for the metro rail project.

A minor scuffle broke out when the police tried to arrest some of the devotees who allegedly tried to disrupt the traffic.

Mahashringa Dasa, chairman of the Iskcon Temple Protection Committee spoke about the need to protect religious freedom in the country. Sahadeva Dasa, president of Iskcon, Secunderabad said the authorities would intensify their protests in the coming days by creating awareness among the people and conducting peaceful demonstrations.

BJP leader Govind Rathi also addressed the gathering on the temple premises.On July 25, the temple authorities submitted 10,500 letters of objection signed by Iskcon Temple, Secunderabad devotees to the special-grade deputy collector to bring a halt the land acquisition proceedings launched by the government.

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Akshaya Patra’s help sought on mid-day meal scheme in Bihar

Following the boycott of the mid-day meal scheme by teachers after the tragic death of 23 kids in food-poisoning incident, the Bihar government has asked Bangalore-based Akshaya Patra, a charitable organization run by ISKCON Bangalore temple providing mid-day meal scheme to schools, to take it over in Patna and Muzaffarpur districts.

The teachers of Bihar, about 3 million of them, have decided to boycott the mid-day meal scheme after Meena Devi, the principal of the school where the mishap took place, was arrested and sent to judicial custody. On the contrary, millions of children in Bihar went without mid-day meal as teachers were on strike.

Defying the government’s appeal, Bihar school teachers said they don’t want to take any risk now unless a full proof system is put in place. Instead, they suggested the government to hand over the scheme to NGOs but the number of schools in the state — at 72,000 — is too big a task for any NGO to handle, say officials.

After the teachers’ boycott of the scheme, the Bihar government, has anyway, asked Bangalore-based Akshay Patra, an NGO run by ISKCON temple, to take it over in Patna and Muzaffarpur districts.

Meanwhile, the Forensic Science Lab report found the pesticide in the sample of oil from the container, food remains on the platter and mixture of rice with vegetables on aluminium utensils, all of which were collected from the school.

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Have Akshaya Patra Meal at SMS hospitals, Jaipur

THE TIMES OF INDIA: JAIPUR: Patients at the government-run Sawai Man Singh (SMS) hospital will now get nutritious food on the hospital premises as it has roped in Akshaya Patra for serving the meals to patients and their attendants at reasonable prices.

The menu will have sprouts, soups, juices and other nutritious food items during breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"We have taken the decision to rope in Akshaya Patra so that patients and their attendants get food which is hygienic and also easily available to them. Now, they will not have to rush for food outside the hospital. We have already installed RO water machines in the hospital for drinking water and now as far as food is concerned, we have roped in Akshaya Patra, which will ensure nutritious and hygienic food supply in the hospital," SMS hospital superintendent Dr Virendra Singh said.

Moreover, the hospital has appointed officials who would keep a check on the quality of food, which is being served to the patients and their attendants. The supply of food to the hospital started from Wednesday, when patients and their attendants bought food items on the hospital premises.

The food will be transported by vehicles in air-tight vessels from the Akshaya Patra kitchen, situated in Goner Road in Jagatpura.

Akshaya Patra president R Govind Dasa said, "Prices are not a problem. We will serve food items at reasonable rates. The food items will be nutritious and hygienic. We will supply idli, upma, poha, khichri at reasonable rates. The prices of no item would exceed to Rs 15. Poha and kichdi will come for Rs 12 each."

He said breakfast would be served at 7 am, lunch between 11 am and 2 pm and dinner between 6 pm and 8 pm. "The prices of lunch and dinner would be Rs 20 for one meal, which include rice, chapatti, dal and vegetables," Dasa said.

"We prepare food in hygienic condition and we keep focus on nutrition as well. So, it will be good for patients and their attendants in the hospital," he added.

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ISKCON alleges sabotage in mid-day meal

HINDUSTAN TIMES: A day after a dead lizard was found in a mid-day meal in a Palwal school, the ISKCON trust, which supplies food to schools of the area, alleged sabotage.

Stating that it had been implementing mid-day meal projects in Palwal district for the past three years, the ISKCON Food Relief Foundation said: "Our centralized kitchen at Dhaulagarh is equipped with the best cooking and pest-control technologies. The incident at Lohagarh seems to be a case of sabotage. Fifty schools had been supplied with food and none of them called us for any complaints,” a statement issued by the organisation said.
"We have requested the administration to conduct an enquiry into the matter so that the truth can come out soon," it said.

The trust said it had supplied the mid-day meal to 80,000 children in various schools in the district.

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ISKCON Mid-Day Meal Reality Check

The mid day meal tragedy which claimed 23 lives in a Bihar school has shook the country. Two days after the tragedy struck a school in Bihar, ISKCON TRUTH teams visited different cities in the country to check the conditions of the ISKCON Mid-Day Meal  kitchens where food is cooked for mid day meals, which are served to government school students.
In Jaipur's Madrampura, the kitchen where mid day meals are cooked was set up by the Iskcon food relief foundation. The kitchen runs in a rented space of a chemical factory. The place where the food is cooked for children is just feet away from the machinery which ejects harmful chemicals. ISKCON TRUTH team also found that the storeroom of the kitchen has no doors and rice stored there contains rat excreta. When quizzed, Radha Krishna Das, director, ISKCON Food Relief Foundation (FRF) Said that “The Food grains and other ingredients supplied by the government are adulterated or of poor quality. BMC officials visit our kitchen only once or twice in a year for an inspection, Considering the increasing cost of electricity, gas supply and other requirements, the pitiable amount paid by the BMC leads to compromise in food quality by organisations. At present, contractors are paid Rs. 2-3 a meal a day. What’s worse, the BMC has even failed to pay the contractors on time. There is always a backlog of amount to be paid for the meals we serve. Two years ago, the BMC owed us around Rs. 2 crore for cooking charges. Some of that amount is yet to be paid.” 
On the other hand Manoj Kotak, chairman, education committee, BMC said “We have written to the government several times, demanding for a centralized kitchen or awarding all contract to an organisation such as ISKCON, who follow a full-proof system.”
The civic body, meanwhile, has come up with its own solution. “We have asked all school principals to taste the food before it is served to the children, so as to ensure that they are fed good quality food, said Mohan Adtani, additional municipal commissioner.
The midday meal prepared and supplied by the Iskcon Food Relief Foundation for Gurgaon does not reach the schools of faraway areas in time and as a result, students have to consume stale food, according to teachers of several such schools.
Teachers from the Shivji Park government primary school, Kadipur government primary school, and schools in Shivaji Nagar, Sohna, Farrukh Nagar and other areas said that on Thursday the food did not reach their schools before the stipulated 11.30am. In some areas, the food reached as late as 1pm.
"The food reaches our school after 1pm. This happens regularly. When we complain to the driver, he gives different excuses each times," said Sanjeev Kumar, a teacher in Kadipur government primary school.
"The khichdi they provide is not fit for consumption. Lots of water comes out when it is kept in our containers. We throw it away," said Kamla Devi, head teacher, Shivji Park school.
Teachers from far-flung areas like Sohna, Farrukh Nagar and Pataudi demand that there should be kitchens in every block so that the food reaches schools in time.
The teachers at Shivanji Nagar were furious over the not reaching the food in time. "If food is not reached in time students cannot concentrate in their studies. They are all from poor families and they come to school at 8 a.m without having any meal at their home." said Raj Rani, a teacher in charge of Midday meal Shivaji Nagar Government Primary School.
The food is prepared in a central kitchen located in Udyog Vihar near Hero HondaPremlata Yadav, district elementary education officer, said, "We had written to the directorate of education to divide the kitchen into four different blocks of Gurgaon, but are yet to get a response. We have received complaints on the delay and are writing to the directorate of education and the NGO concerned." Chowk and vans carry the food to all the schools.
"The cooking begins at 3am and meals are ready by 8am. It is then packed and loaded in the vans. The journey takes three to four hours depending on the traffic and by the time it reaches the schools, it's 1pm. The food is often stale," said Tarun Sihag, president, district primary school teachers association.
"The quality of the food should be examined by district food inspectors. The quantity should also be increased," he said.
When contacted, Prabhat Shukla, general manager, Iskcon Food Relief Foundation Midday Meal, said that the vans reach all the schools on time. "Of course, sometimes they may be late because of traffic jams or bad road conditions. As for developing kitchens at the block level, we have told the directorate of education that we don't have the resources to do that. If the government provides us the kitchen, we will install equipment there."

On the other hand Government praises Akshaya Patra Foundation run by ISKCON Bangalore. 
Akshaya Patra uses customized industrial steam generators and specifically designed vegetable cutting machines. The vehicles that transport cooked food to schools are heat insulated and dust-free special purpose vehicles. Little wonder the scheme was a Harvard Business School case study.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation feeds 1.3 million children in 19 locations across nine states in India every day, and served up its billionth meal last year. In Karnataka, the kitchens are located in Bangalore, Hubli and Bellary. None of them had any kind of a complaint but everyone had a positive feeling about this great cause.
"We are certified with ISO 22000 for our hygienic standards of kitchen. There are checklists for washing vessels in which food is transported, washing and cleaning vegetables, preparing chapattis, dal, storing raw material and also we have a lab for testing of raw material. We follow personal hygiene practices, pest control practices, storage practices, production practices and vehicle hygienic practices. Our workers are trained in kitchen hygiene," Akshaya Patra Foundation Jaipur president R Govind Dasa said.

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After Bihar tragedy, PCMC decides to give 50 per cent of the midday meal work to ISKCON

The Indian Express: Following the death of 22 children in Bihar due to pesticide in midday meal, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has decided to review its system of serving food to primary school students. The PCMC has allotted nearly 50 per cent of the midday meal work to ISKCON, while rest of the work has been assigned to self-help groups and other private parties.

Municipal Commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi said he would review the midday meal scheme that has been put in place by the civic body. "After what happened in Bihar, we will review our midday meal scheme," he said.

Activists and members of self-help groups said midday meal raises questions of hygiene. "In some places in Pimpri-Chinchwad, midday meal is cooked near gutters and nullahs as the parties do not have proper space. If food is cooked near such places, how can we ensure hygiene and the health of children?" asked Anita Landge, president of Damini Bachat Gat, a self-help group. Bachat gats are run by 18 members who are mainly housewives. "The members are not from well-to-do families. They run the gats just because they have to. But does that mean we will compromise with the health of children. If the quality of the preparations are checked, only then the PCMC will realise what is actually happening at the ground level," Landge said.

Sulbha Ubale, president of the Pimpri Chinchwad Bachat Gat Mahasangh, said the midday meal provided by PCMC does not have quality. "There are frequent complaints from children and parents about the quality of the food served. It seems PCMC officials are not keen on keeping a tab on how the food is prepared. If they inspect the food preparation closely, I am sure they will be shocked to see the lack of hygiene conditions in places from where they operate," she said.

Ubale said PCMC should instead implement the 'Central Kitchen' plan. "If there is a centralised kitchen, the problem of quality and transportation could be resolved to a large extent. Also if PCMC allots space for kitchens in the schools itself, the hygiene problem will be solved. Kitchens in schools would also help serve hot and fresh meals which is very necessary since we are talking of providing nutritious food to children," she said.

In past few years, at least six-seven incidents of worms found in midday meal has been reported. In one incident, several students fell ill after eating food served by ISKCON. However, it was later revealed that the food served had no problem. Civic officials suspected that it might have been an act of sabotage as certain sections opposed the contract be given to ISKCON.

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Akshaya Patra Foundation: A success story of mid day meals

IBN LIVE: Bangalore: Mid day meals have been a major incentive attracting lakhs of students. While the one in Bihar went terribly wrong, the Akshaya Patra Foundation's initiative has been a success story.

For the past 12 years, Akshaya Patra Foundation has served cooked food to nearly 14 lakh children in government schools across the country. The foundation reached an important milestone by serving its billionth meal in August 2012. From a very modest beginning, the foundation now covers most government schools in nine states across the country.

"We have always said that we are a very rich country with a lot of poor people, that's the sad part of it. Our government has very good programmes, very good leaders and a huge outlay of budgets. But the challenge in our country is delivering, how to deliver these good programmes up to the last mile," said Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice-Chairman, Akshaya Patra Foundation.

Now, even as students increase and volumes expand, Akshaya Patra Foundation has not lost sight of its core principle - serving tasty and nutritious food to children. To celebrate the grand milestone of the billionth meal, the Foundation got music director Shankar Mahadevan and lyricist Javed Akthar to compose a theme track for them.

"I think with everybody's support and with the power of music, we are all here to support the cause, we are going to spread it like anything. We are going to dub this song in every possible language and in every state in the country," said Shankar Mahadevan.

Akshaya Patra now hopes that in some years, the country will have food security and people won't need the support of such foundations. But till then, they will continue providing healthy food to many more under privileged children from across the country.

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Security best in ISKCON Bangalore temple: CNN IBN

CNN-IBN conducted checks across famous religious sites in India and found serious security lapses. In Panchkula, Punjab's Nada Sahib and Guwahati's Kamakhya temple there were security loopholes and CNN-IBN reporters could get inside the premises carrying mini cylinders and other hazardous materials. But security was much better in ISKCON Bangalore temple.

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