Asia Calling is a one-hour weekly current affairs program produced by Indonesia's award winning KBR68H radio station. For close to 7 years Asia Calling has showcased and highlighted change making stories that have impacted the region, providing insights and unique view points to many of the issues and current affairs shaping Asia today. Produced in English, Asia Calling is today translated into 10 Asian languages and broadcast by 280 radio stations throughout the region.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation and the Mid-day Meal Program we implement were recently featured on the program. Jasvinder Sehgal in Jaipur reports on the work we do and the impact it has had across India. Read below for the transcript of the programme

 It's lunchtime in Jawahar Nagar Sindhi government school. The students are gathering in the dining hall to get a free lunch. The menu today: vegetables, rice, Indian bread, porridge and sweet rice. Before eating the students thank God for the meal. One of them is Lalita who is in  grade eight. Her father works as a driver and struggles to support six children. She often misses breakfast as she has to leave for school early.

"The food is very good and I don’t get such food at my home. I love eating this enjoyable lunch every day as it is very delicious."

Right now, meals like this are being prepared for 150 million school children across India. Following a landmark decision by the Supreme Court in 2001, state governments were ordered to provide free meals for all primary school children aged 10 and under. Last year the scheme was expanded to include children up to year 10. In this area Akshaya Patra, an NGO is running the program. Chanchalapathi Dasa is the Vice Chairman of the group.

Hungry kids eating Akshaya Patra Meal "This has encouraged the children to come to school and get nutritious food and do well in their education. Our idea has been that if we can feed children and provide them with nutritious food that can be an encouragement for the underprivileged families to send their children to the school. And as a result of good food, the educational practice becomes more productive and if the child gets educated, then the child will come out of the cycle of poverty."

His group feeds 1.2 million children out of 19 kitchens.

"The set up is a large kitchen infrastructure where we can cook food for 100 thousand to 150 thousand children at a time and transport the food  to distant schools and can feed them in the schools."

Teachers at the school say students now find it easier to concentrate, and classrooms are getting crowded. Mahesh Kumar is an English teacher.

"Our registration has increased to a great extent and now our school is up to the secondary level and our enrolment is 350.When I came here three years ago the enrolment was 150."

In many states, lunch has become a one-stop shop for children's health. Apart from the nutritional value of the cooked lunch, these kids also get vitamin A, iron, folic acid and de-worming tablets with their meals. Shakuntla's children are studying in the school,"We can’t feed such nutritious and costly food at home. We can't afford it that's why my children eat less at home and more in school."

Lalit Kumar works in a grocery shop and says they don't have time to cook for their children,"Working parents are not able to come home and cook food for their children during lunch. The mid day meal has solved our problem and now our children are eating and keeping well."

It’s the end of another day of school. More Indian children are able to learn thanks to a free lunch.