22 Jul 2020 --- The rice and sugar subsidized to low-income households via India’s Public Distribution System (PDS) may be of limited nutritional benefit. An international study revealed that children may be positively impacted by access to subsidized food through the PDS in the short-run, but the food they receive should not serve as a proxy for dietary diversity. Consequently, the study authors advocate for more diligent monitoring of the scheme’s impact on children’s nutritional outcomes, rather than a “drastic overhaul” of the PDS per se. Strikingly, the study points out that one-third of undernourished children worldwide live in India.
