MUFG and Akshaya Patra Foundation lays the foundation for its kitchen in Narsingi,Telangana

HYDERABAD, India - Aug. 11, 2016 - PRLog -- Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG)'s banking entity The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. (BTMU), and the Akshaya Patra Foundation took the first step to build a full-fledged kitchen in Narsingi, by laying the foundation stone for the building on 11 August, 2016. The Narsingi Kitchen will be providing mid-day meals to over 35,000 children in Telangana from the next academic year.

A bhoomi puja was organised at the new kitchen premises by the Akshaya Patra Foundation along with a lamp lighting ceremony for an auspicious start to the undertaking. Among the dignitaries at the event were Chief Guest, Justice C V Nagarjuna Reddy, High Court Judge for Telangana & Andhra Pradesh and Mr D Damodar Rao, CMD Namaste Telangana. Also present at the occasion were, Shri Satya Gaura Chandra Dasa, Unit President, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, and Mr Ryoichi Shinke, Regional Executive of BTMU India.

Speaking at the occasion, Justice C V Nagarjuna, thanked the Bank and The Foundation for their initiative. "We are happy that MNCs are investing not just in the infrastructure of the state but also for the future generation by supporting education for all. Such initiatives will go a long way in building the nation."

Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa also expressed his gratitude towards BTMU India for supporting them. "We are inching towards the 2 million mark and we are glad that we are receiving support from global companies like BTMU. Our joint initiative will benefit the state by providing meals to kids and employment to locals especially women. We hope to continue to serve the nation and end classroom hunger by 2020."

In June 2016, the Bank had announced about its MOU with The Foundation to support the mid-day meal program as part of its CSR initiative. Under this MoU, MUFG has pledged INR 105.1 million to fund the construction of a new centralised kitchen to cater to government schools in Ranga Reddy District, near Hyderabad, Telangana. The kitchen is expected to be operational by the next academic year (2017-18).

Shri Satya Gaura Chandra Dasa, Unit President, The Akshaya Patra Foundation expressed, "We are happy to inform that The Akshaya Patra Foundation is collaborating with Japan's banking giant to build first class social infrastructure in the new state of Telangana. With the support of the Government and BTMU we will be feeding 35,000 children. The MDM scheme is a great initiative to bring children back to school in Telangana."

About Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG) is one of the world's leading financial groups, with total assets of approximately ¥295.8 trillion or US$2.5 trillion, as of December 31, 2015.

Headquartered in Tokyo and with approximately 350 years of history, MUFG is a global network with about 1,200 offices in nearly 50 countries. The Group has over 140,000 employees and about 300 entities, offering services including commercial banking, trust banking, securities, credit cards, consumer finance, asset management, and leasing.

The Group's operating companies include Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation (Japan's leading trust bank), and Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Holdings Co., Ltd., one of Japan's largest securities firms.

Through close partnerships among our operating companies, the Group aims to "be the world's most trusted financial group", flexibly responding to all of the financial needs or our customers, serving society , and fostering shared and sustainable growth for a better world. MUFG's shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York stock exchanges.

For more information, visit www.mufg.jp/english.

About The Akshaya Patra Foundation

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation headquartered in Bengaluru, India. The organization strives to fight issues like hunger and malnutrition in India. By implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Government schools and Government aided schools, The Akshaya Patra Foundation aims not only to fight hunger but also to bring children to school.

Since 2000, the organisation has worked towards reaching more children with wholesome food on every single school day. Akshaya Patra Foundation is continuously leveraging technology to cater to millions of children. Its state-of-the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and they attract curious visitors from around the world. In partnership with the Government of India and various State Governments and inestimable support from many philanthropic donors and well-wishers; Akshaya Patra has grown from humble beginnings serving just 1,500 school children across 5 schools. Today, Akshaya Patra Foundation is the world's largest (not-for-profit run) mid-day meal programme serving wholesome food to over 1.5 million children from 11,360 schools across 10 states in India.

For more details, please log on: www.akshayapatra.org