ID :
49224
Thu, 03/05/2009 - 17:59
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Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/49224
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Mumbai boys bring reform, slum dwellers can get food at Rs 5
Mumbai, Mar 5 (PTI) An business plan by five management
students to provide nutritious food to slum dwellers at a
nominal cost of Rs 5 has fetched them the Global Social
Entrepreneurship Competition (GSEC) award in the US.
Students of NMIMS college in north west Mumbai, India's
western metropolis won the coveted competition held at the
University of Washington's Foster School of Business for their
'Ahaar', under which food packets, containing rice, lentils,
jaggery and vegetables can be made available for the poor at a
cost of Rs 5.
"The idea for the business plan came about a year ago
when one of the team members, Ankit Jain, had a dream in which
he was distributing food packets to children living in slums,"
N G Sreejith, another team member, told PTI.
After discussing it with fellow team members, the five
students decided to come up with a business plan to provide
cheap nutritious meals to slum dwellers, he said.
For this, the students visited slums in Dharavi and Juhu
to study the food habits of people living there.
"We found that an average slum resident spends about Rs
10 to cook a meal at home. By creating operational
efficiencies at each stage, the price of the final food packet
was reduced to Rs 5," Sreejith said. They found that the
savings could help the slum dwellers as many of them were
migrant labourers trying to send money home.
"Also the food provided in the packets provides 700
calories per meal which is the nutritional requirement as per
recommendations of the UN," Sreejith said.
The business plan also envisions roping in women of
slum areas to prepare the food packets and providing them an
opportunity to earn money by doing so.
The NMIMS team consisting of Sreejith, Ankit Jain,
Siddharth Bedi and Rahul Aggarwal won the prize for the best
business plan which included a cash prize of USD 10,000.
Students from across the world competed in the GSEC
whose objective is to encourage them to find creative
solutions to eradicate poverty in developing countries.
The team will soon work on a test market and implement
a pilot project to judge its acceptance among people living in
slums, Sreejith said.
"The event has also allowed us to come in touch with
potential investors for the scheme which could be useful in
implementing the proposal," he said. PTI
students to provide nutritious food to slum dwellers at a
nominal cost of Rs 5 has fetched them the Global Social
Entrepreneurship Competition (GSEC) award in the US.
Students of NMIMS college in north west Mumbai, India's
western metropolis won the coveted competition held at the
University of Washington's Foster School of Business for their
'Ahaar', under which food packets, containing rice, lentils,
jaggery and vegetables can be made available for the poor at a
cost of Rs 5.
"The idea for the business plan came about a year ago
when one of the team members, Ankit Jain, had a dream in which
he was distributing food packets to children living in slums,"
N G Sreejith, another team member, told PTI.
After discussing it with fellow team members, the five
students decided to come up with a business plan to provide
cheap nutritious meals to slum dwellers, he said.
For this, the students visited slums in Dharavi and Juhu
to study the food habits of people living there.
"We found that an average slum resident spends about Rs
10 to cook a meal at home. By creating operational
efficiencies at each stage, the price of the final food packet
was reduced to Rs 5," Sreejith said. They found that the
savings could help the slum dwellers as many of them were
migrant labourers trying to send money home.
"Also the food provided in the packets provides 700
calories per meal which is the nutritional requirement as per
recommendations of the UN," Sreejith said.
The business plan also envisions roping in women of
slum areas to prepare the food packets and providing them an
opportunity to earn money by doing so.
The NMIMS team consisting of Sreejith, Ankit Jain,
Siddharth Bedi and Rahul Aggarwal won the prize for the best
business plan which included a cash prize of USD 10,000.
Students from across the world competed in the GSEC
whose objective is to encourage them to find creative
solutions to eradicate poverty in developing countries.
The team will soon work on a test market and implement
a pilot project to judge its acceptance among people living in
slums, Sreejith said.
"The event has also allowed us to come in touch with
potential investors for the scheme which could be useful in
implementing the proposal," he said. PTI
