Public Spending and Welfare Schemes for Nutrition and Their Impact on Reduction of Child Malnutrition in India: An Analysis

Child malnutrition poses a significant challenge in India, impacting both the physical and mental development of children and giving rise to socio-economic difficulties. This study seeks to investigate the prevalence of malnutrition, disparities across regions and social strata, trends of state-wise allocation of resources under nutritional schemes and their impact on malnutrition among children under the age of five. The study utilises secondary data from state budget documents and the National Family Health Survey for various rounds spanning from 1997–1998 to 2021–2022. The study employs scatterplots and multiple linear regression models within a cross-sectional framework for analysing data. The findings reveal that there are improvements in nutritional status among children in Indian states over the period of time. However, malnutrition rates among children in Bihar, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka are still higher, and they need immediate attention. Rural areas, in particular, register higher proportions of stunting, wasting and underweight among children. The expenditure on nutrition-related schemes is rising over the period. Though the share of state expenditure on nutrition as a percentage of gross state domestic product in low-income states (LIS) is higher than the same in high-income states (HIS) in recent years, state-level per capita expenditure on nutrition is higher in HIS than in LIS throughout the period. State-level per capita allocation for Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and the Poshan Abhiyan scheme are found to play an important role in reducing stunting, wasting and underweight. Specifically, a 1% rise in per capita ICDS allocation to a state significantly reduces underweight prevalence by 0.04% among children under five. Similarly, an increase in per capita Poshan Abhiyan expenditure by 1% is associated with declines in stunting by 0.02% and underweight by 0.04%. There is a need to increase government spending on nutrition-related schemes, make the schemes well-targeted and prioritise integrated health and nutrition strategies in social welfare schemes for the reduction of child malnutrition in India. Measures on effective utilisation of schemes, creating awareness on various schemes for nutrition and improving women’s education are required to sustainably reduce child malnutrition in India.