Infocus 4 January 2018

Technological
Legal
Likely Legal Issues
There is a possibility that these SHGs will go to the court if the Government takes any decision
against them. And Goa, as it is, is notorious for judicial activism.
Environmental
Likely Environmental Issues
It doesn’t seem like there will be any environmental issue to tackle, unless the Government
decides to allot land in an area which is protected/controversial/agricultural land. If it does, it is
very likely that environment groups will also come into the picture.
Media’s Likely Take
If the Government cannot give a justified reason to replace SHGs, the Media won’t be in the
position to speak in Akshaya Patra’s favour—despite the positive image they have about the
Foundation as of now.
Recommendations
In order to get a clear picture, an
in-depth study is recommended
spanning over a few months with
students, teachers, and PTA members
as the respondents. This study
will reveal actual requirements of
the children and locations/ areas/
geographies where such a set-up will
be beneficial.
We might be able to replicate the
SUMUL example.
It will also be helpful if mapping is
done for the distribution pattern of
SHGs which serve mid-day meals in
the state as of now.
The Directorate of Education (DoE)
Goa Government had asked all the
schools to visit the SHG facilities
and answer a questionnaire with
27 key points. The final report of
this evaluation can give us a better
understanding of SHGs in question.
GOA
FIVE FORCE
ANALYSIS
If you want to determine whether your venture will be profitable or not and weed out the
concerns you are likely to face, you need to be aware of your competitors—especially how their
actions in the marketplace will affect you. Five Force Analysis helps in doing this by analysing
other businesses in the market on five distinct fronts: industry rivalry, bargaining power of
consumers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat of substitutes, and threat of new entrants.
Akshaya Patra Five Force Analysis - Goa
Industry rivalry
It analyses the number of competitors in the marketplace currently and capability.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation faces a strong force, in terms of industry rivalry, because it is
directly competing with Self-help Groups (SHGs) for the mid-day meal space in Goa. These
SHGs have been providing mid-day meals in the state for the last 17 years. As of today, 105
SHGs are in contract with the Government of Goa. (Earlier this month, their contract was
extended until the end of this academic year.)
While these groups have been protesting as one unit now—under the All Goa Mid-day Meal
Federation (AGMDMF), they play the individual group card if there is any untoward incident.
If, for instance, there is some problem with the food provided by one particular group, their
argument is that the Government should act against that particular group and not every SHG
involved. Most of these SHGs are basically mahila mandals with political patronage.
Industry rivalry should be the most important concern for Akshaya Patra in Goa on the Force
Analysis front.
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