Social Safety Nets for Food and Nutritional Security in India

61 Pages Posted: 13 Jan 2016

See all articles by Sudha Narayanan

Sudha Narayanan

Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR); International Food Policy Research Institute

Nicolas Gerber

University of Bonn - Center for Development Research (ZEF)

Date Written: January 2016

Abstract

This paper brings together existing literature on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNRGEA) and the Public Distribution System (PDS) in India, offering a narrative review of the evidence on impacts on food security, health and nutrition of beneficiaries. Both programs operate on a large scale and have the capacity to impact the factors leading to undernutrition. It is evident that despite the deficiencies in implementation, both the MGNREGA and the PDS are inclusive and reach the poor and the marginalized who are likely to also experience greater undernutrition and poor health. Data challenges have however prevented researchers from conducting studies that assess the ultimate impact of these two large-scale programs on health and nutrition. The evidence that exists suggests largely positive impacts indicating a clear potential to make these programs more nutrition sensitive not just by incorporating elements that would explicitly address nutritional concerns but also by directing specific attention to innovations that strengthen critical complementarities and synergies that exist between the two programs.

Keywords: social safety nets, India, complementarity and synergies, food and nutrition security, health

JEL Classification: H5, H7, I38

Suggested Citation

Narayanan, Sudha and Gerber, Nicolas, Social Safety Nets for Food and Nutritional Security in India (January 2016). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2714389 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2714389

Sudha Narayanan (Contact Author)

Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR) ( email )

Gen A.K. Vaidya Marg Santoshnagar
Goregaon (East)
Mumbai, Maharashtra 400065
India

International Food Policy Research Institute ( email )

1201 Eye St, NW,
Washington, DC 20005
United States

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.ifpri.org/profile/sudha-narayanan

Nicolas Gerber

University of Bonn - Center for Development Research (ZEF) ( email )

Walter-Flex-Strasse 3
Bonn, D-53113
Germany

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