Take Home Rations (THR) and cash transfers for maternal and child nutrition in India: A synthesis of evidence and recommendations for policy

Policy brief 29 Aug 2019

Authors

In India, 38.4 percent of children under the age of five are stunted, i.e., have impaired growth and development, rising to 41.2 percent in rural areas.
India ranks 134th out of 151 countries that measure stunting – lower than Bangladesh, Nepal, and most Sub-Saharan African countries.
To address challenges with child and maternal health, the Government of India has a long history of interventions focused on maternal and child health.
One major government programme focuses on providing women and children food rations, while another administers cash transfers to pregnant and lactating mothers.
This brief, summarising an IGC-commissioned synthesis of existing evidence, analyses both the ‘Take Home Rations (THR)’ and cash transfer approaches and provides a set of recommended policy actions.