Publication type: Policy Briefs

True Cost of the PDS Special Policy Brief

Revealing the Hidden Production Costs of India’s Public Distribution System

This policy brief presents preliminary estimates of the environmental and health-related costs associated with the production of food grain for India’s Public Distribution System (PDS), a program that provides subsidized food to more than 800 million Indians. This new analysis provides government policymakers, advocates, and...

Indian Obesity Varies by Gender, Rural/Urban Divide

This policy brief presents the findings of a TCI study examining differences in the incidence of overweight within India according to biological, technological, and environmental factors. The study shows that overweight and obesity rates are tied to such variables as gender and the level of...

COVID-19 Lockdowns Hurt Women’s Nutrition Security

This policy brief presents the findings of a TCI study analyzing the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the availability of non-staple and staple foods, as well as its effect on women’s diet diversity at the national, state, and district levels in four economically challenged districts of...

Increased Farm Work Worsens Women’s Nutrition

This policy brief presents the findings of a TCI study on the impact of time constraints like housework and agricultural activities on women’s nutritional outcomes. The study reveals that time trade-offs imposed on women by peak-season agricultural work are associated with a decrease in the...

To Reduce Stunting, Space Out Births

This policy brief presents the findings of a TCI study exploring the linkages between birth order, time between births, and relative height-for-age. According to the study, birth order affects height when births occur less than three years apart, with the height gap increasing between later-born...

Healthy Diets Are Too Expensive for Most Indians

This policy brief presents the findings of a TCI study assessing the cost of the EAT-Lancet diet in India. The study reveals a significant gap between current food consumption and the EAT-Lancet diet in India. The EAT-Lancet diet costs $3-5 per person per day in...