Management students in Mumbai impress industry

‘Revamping the city’s sanitation and drainage system’ and ‘Reviving Aarey Dairy, the flavour of Mumbai’:  research papers by students of Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS) have caught the attention of the industry. They were winners at the JBIMS’ business convention, Strategym.

The paper on improving drainage and sanitation is under consideration of the BMC. “Unicef officials want to work with us to implement some of our suggestions,” said Nidhi Rao, who worked on the paper.

It recommended recycling water in housing or industrial complexes. About 1,900 million litres per day of water can thus be re-used. They have also proposed deploying mobile vans in slum areas. They will have portable toilets with solar panels for electricity generation, septic tanks for disposal, and high pressure flushes. “Renting out these vans during commercial events would be a major source of revenue,” she said.

The students who worked on the Aarey paper have been offered an off-summer project to work with the dairy. Officials are keen on implementing the strategies proposed.

 “We suggested a dynamic procurement pricing for milk and said that it can be done if the government gives more autonomy,” said Deven Kothari, who worked on the paper.

The students have proposed changes in the sales and distribution model. “We suggested that Aarey officials can come up with a demand form for retailers so that they can supply accordingly. Another important recommendation was re-branding Aarey and converting its booths into health joints,” he said.