Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT) had a major role in the creation and construction of a community kitchen in Bhuj, India. The facility's inauguration ceremony was held on Jan. 19, 2019.
BKT is strongly committed to a project promoted by the Akshaya Patra Foundation to build a Community Canteen in the small town of Bhuj in the Indian State of Gujarat, where BKT’s recently built production site is located.
BKT says it is proud and aware of its roots in India, and tends to share its results as a contribution to the social and economic development.
The new Community Canteen kitchen is part of the local government’s nutrition programs. It has been set up in compliance with the strictest international standards on the matter of food safety and hygiene. The cutting-edge infrastructure is designed for cooking and baking about 2,500 kg of rice, over 21,000 loaves of bread and 1,200 kg of vegetables per hour.
The canteen can provide food for 50,000 students at local schools. The purpose is to encourage underprivileged families to send their children to school to obtain a free meal. The project combines and embodies two essential pillars for the future: nutrition and education.
The canteen kitchen was officially inaugurated on January 19, 2019, with local representatives of the Akshaya Patra Foundation, and of the Sarva Mangal Family Trust, another donor taking part in the project, being present.
“BKT’s top management is strongly satisfied with the completion of such an important project for the community,” says Basant Kumar Bansal, CFO for BKT, who was present at the inauguration.
“It has been our aim to create here in Bhuj a structure that would provide more than just jobs, but also social cohesion. For this reason, in addition to the plant, we have provided a playschool, a hospital, a fire station as well as common spaces to live all together in harmony. We have also provided transport services to the center of Bhuj, and we are always looking for further improvements. For us, the “Bhuj project” does not end here. It also belongs to the surrounding community. The canteen kitchen dedicated to local schools gives evidence and plays a fundamental role on this path.”
Arvind Poddar, chairman and managing director of BKT, added: “Children are our country’s future. Education is a fundamental instrument that will enable them to lead a life of dignity. Many underprivileged children have no access to education, but we at BKT can make their lives different. We believe that small and simple measures like offering a meal at midday can become a catalyzer pursuing the double purpose of making children go to school and offering them healthy and nourishing food. We are proud of supporting the Akshaya Patra Foundation within this noble aim, and we hope that this initiative will help to shape a concrete future for our community.”
The cooperation between BKT and the Akshaya Patra Foundation, through the BKT Foundation, which operates intensively for supporting projects and initiatives of several origin, is not a novelty. The latter actively sustains the Akshaya Patra Foundation in the purpose of ensuring education to less fortunate children, rescuing them from the streets and taking them to school. Moreover, the Akshaya Patra Foundation has implemented a significant school canteen program for providing over 1.4 million of children in 10,000 schools spread throughout the Ten Indian States with food, aiming at fighting hunger and malnutrition.
“We have aimed at reaching all community levels ever since, at providing them with aid, and at ensuring that our projects are sustainable at the same time,” says Chanchalapathi Dasa, vice president of the Akshaya Patra Foundation. “We are immensely grateful to all donors and the government, which have enabled us to build this canteen kitchen.”
BKT says its resolution to make the entire world a better place does not stop here. Many corporate projects aiming at contributing to the Indian progress are underway. This is confirmed by a strong commitment to supportive activities of several nature.
As a multinational group being present in 160 countries worldwide, BKT feels both the necessity and responsibility of being the carrier of a positive message worldwide, since every community is important - no matter how small it may be. The future starts from here.
Headquartered in Mumbai, India, BKT is a global manufacturer in the off-highway tire market.
Since its founding in 1987, BKT has focused on specialist segments such as agricultural, construction and industrial vehicles as well as earthmoving, port and mining, ATV, and gardening applications.
The company has four subsidiaries in Europe and North America assisting its head office in sales and marketing activities: BKT Europe S.r.l. in Seregno, Italy; BKT Tires USA Inc. in Akron, Ohio; BKT Tires Canada Inc. in Toronto; and BKT Tires Inc. in Brentwood, Tenn. BKT sells its products in 130 countries worldwide through a network of national distributors. The company’s five production sites in Aurangabad, Bhiwadi, Chopanki, Dombivali and Bhuj employ more than 7,000 people.
For more information about the company, visit www.bkt-tires.com.
