Harvard biz school students study Akshaya Patra

Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO-run mid-day meal programme of Iskcon, Bangalore has been a case study for students of Harvard Business School (HBS).

Announcing this to reporters here, Madhu Pandit Dasa, head of Iskcon and chairman of Akshaya Patra Foundation, said, “The business school students studied Akshaya Patra for its operational excellence, adoption of modern technology and scalability.”

“The HBS case study is another positive step in boosting our efforts to ensure that we reach out to a million children by the end of this decade,” he added.

The study was done by David Upton, Christine Ellis, Sarah Lucas and Amy Yamner after their study tour of India in 2006. The study was carried out through field work, personal interviews with a number of Akshaya Patra officials and schools benefited by them.

What started as a pilot in 2000 in Bangalore feeding 1,500 children, now offers meals to 850,000 children in over 4,500 government schools and anganwadis in 11 locations spread over six states. Akshaya Patra has set a goal of feeding one million children daily by 2010.

Madhu Pandit Dasa, said “The foundation, however felt confident that they will reach this goal. Performance always exceeds promises. There are three significant limitations to achieve this growth: perfecting and setting up operations, training a dedicated workforce and funding.”

“While HBS cases developed as part of the curriculum and are generally not intended to serve as endorsements, the fact remains these case studies carry substantial weightage as they represent as a clear picture of an organisation, its ability to carry out specific operations,” said Raj Kondur, trustee, Akshaya Patra Foundation.