A study published in the American Economic Association’s Journal on Applied Economics highlights the significant impact of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) of 2013 on reducing child stunting. According to the study, the expansion of food grain distribution under the NFSA prevented stunting in approximately 1.8 million children across eight Indian states.

The research, conducted by Aditya Shrinivas from IIM Bangalore and professors from the universities of California and Calgary, evaluated the NFSA’s effect on child nutrition, dietary diversity, and overall household welfare. The study found that food transfers through the Public Distribution System (PDS) led to an increase in daily wages and total income for poor households, who are often net labor suppliers. These transfers also helped vulnerable households withstand local climate shocks such as droughts or poor rainfall.

The study found that the shift to per-individual entitlements, as mandated by the NFSA, benefited larger families and increased food transfers in states with less generous provisions. Notably, PDS transfers led to an improved diet, with households spending more on animal proteins and less on staple grains, improving nutrition.

The impact was especially significant for infants aged 0 to 2 years, during the critical window of the first 1,000 days of life. The study also found that PDS transfers helped reduce stunting by 7 percentage points during years of poor rainfall, compared to 3.2 percentage points in favorable years, demonstrating the system’s role as a nutrition-sensitive safety net.

These findings suggest that, contrary to some criticisms of PDS, the expansion under NFSA not only reached the intended beneficiaries but also significantly improved child nutrition and reduced stunting.