Prabhu Pingali, founding director of the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI), has been named to the Indian government’s technical advisory committee for evaluation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) of 2013.

The committee comprises more than a dozen Indian government officials, researchers, and academics. It will provide guidance to the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) of the Niti Aayog (Planning Commission) as it evaluates food subsidies under the NFSA.

“It is an honor to join this advisory committee to help ensure that Indian policies aimed at reducing hunger are as effective as possible,” Pingali said.

As part of its evaluation, the DMEO is planning to conduct a large, pan-India field survey and assess the effectiveness of supply chain management processes. As a member of the committee, Pingali will aid in finalizing the evaluation plan and provide advice on technical aspects of the plan, such as the development of sampling designs, indicators, survey instruments, analysis, results, and findings.

“It is an honor to join this advisory committee to help ensure that Indian policies aimed at reducing hunger are as effective as possible,” Pingali said.

Also known as the “Right to Food Act,” the NFSA aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two thirds of the Indian population, including 75 percent of the rural population and 50 percent of the urban population. The Midday Meal Scheme, Integrated Child Development Services, and the Public Distribution System are included under the act.

In addition to being the director of TCI, Pingali is a professor in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, with joint appointments in the Division of Nutritional Sciences and the Department of Global Development in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University.