Expansion and utilization of one of India’s largest government-run community-based nutrition programs increased significantly between 2006 and 2016, especially among historically disadvantaged castes and tribes.
Expansion and utilization of one of India’s largest government-run community-based nutrition programs increased significantly between 2006 and 2016, especially among historically disadvantaged castes and tribes. But, women with low education and the poorest households are relatively more excluded from accessing program benefits. Among states too, while overall utilization has improved, high malnutrition states are relatively lagging. These are the findings of a new study, the first to offer an in-depth analysis of the utilization of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)* program, conducted by researchers at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
The ICDS provides food, pre-school education, and primary healthcare to children under six and pregnant and lactating women. ICDS continues to be India’s flagship program to tackle undernutrition, and key actions under India’s new nutrition mission, the POSHAN Abhiyaan, are anchored in the program. The expanded participation between 2006 and 2016 demonstrates progress, but the researchers cautioned not all groups have benefited equally.
“Even though overall utilization has improved and reached many marginalized groups such as historically disadvantaged castes and tribes, the poor are still left behind, with lower utilization and lower expansion throughout the continuum of care,” says IFPRI Research Fellow and study co-author, Kalyani Raghunathan. “These gaps are especially pronounced in the largest states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which also carry the highest burden of undernutrition. While both states have shown improvements in 2016, they still fall behind national averages, suggesting that overall poor performance in high poverty states could lead to major exclusions.”
Read more at International Food Policy Research Institute
