“The Akshaya Patra Foundation, the worlds largest school meal programme today announced that it has been honoured with an case exclusive study done on its operation by none other than the prestigious Harvard Business School
, USA.”
(1888PressRelease) April 23, 2008 – The Akshaya Patra Foundation, the worlds largest school
meal programme being implemented across six states in India and covering over eight lakh Fifty children in 4,500 schools, today announced that it has been honoured with an case exclusive study done on its operation by none other than the prestigious Harvard Business School, USA. Coming together to present the case study to the media was the chairman of the foundation, Shriman Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman,Trustee, Mohandas Pai, Director-HR, Infosys.
The case study has been prepared by Professor David Upton and Christine Ellis, Sarah Lucas, and Amy Yamner after extensive fieldwork, personal interviews with a number of Akshaya Patra officials, school children, teachers and government officials. While HBS cases are developed as a part of the business school’s curriculum and are generally not intended to serve as endorsements, the fact remains that these case studies carry substantial weightage as they represent a clear picture of an organisation, its ability to carry out specific operations, illustrate the innovations that have been undertaken and, overall, provide examples that can be replicated. Akshaya Patra is the first NGO in India to have been selected for a case study and the team has done an excellent job in capturing the soul of the operations.
“We would like to thank HBS for choosing Akshaya Patra as a case study. We are honoured by this distinction. Above all, it is heartening to know that this case study will enable many more people across the globe to know about Akshaya Patra and its yeoman efforts to eradicate hunger and illiteracy in India,” commented Shriman Madhu Pandit Das. He added, “The HBS Case study is one more positive step in boosting our efforts to ensure that we reach out to a million children by the end of this decade. The discussions that will take place and is taking place among students and teachers at Harvard will mean that tomorrow’s corporate leaders will have a deeper knowledge of India’s needs and the activities that are being undertaken indigenously.”
Trustee Mohandas Pai revealed to the media that the foundation presently feeds secure wholesome, nutritious and hygienically cooked school meals for over 8,50,000 children across 14 locations that span six states of India. “The HBS case study provides for an interesting and inspiring read about Akshaya Patra. It is an independent report compiled by the world’s leading business school. The case study will vouch for the transparency in Akshaya Patra’s operations, the dedication of the people behind it, its innovative methods, technically advanced kitchens and its phenomenal success in a span of seven years.”
