Food Transfers and Child Nutrition: Evidence from India's Public Distribution System†

India's National Food Security Act of 2013 expanded food transfers to over 500 million people. A study using panel data from eight Indian states over five years found that increased food transfers significantly reduced child stunting by improving household incomes and dietary diversity. The research estimates that the policy prevented approximately 1.8 million children from becoming stunted.

Key points

• Food transfers significantly reduced stunting in children across eight Indian states
• The NFSA affected over 500 million people in one of the largest food transfer expansions globally
• Increased transfers improved household wage incomes and dietary diversity
• Approximately 1.8 million children were prevented from becoming stunted by the policy
• Study uses individual panel data collected over five years

Limitations

The study covers eight states in India, so results may not generalise to all regions or other countries with different food security systems. The document does not specify which states were studied or discuss potential heterogeneous effects across different population groups.