D4 n2020 conference summary report_v1

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Conference co-hosts
In alphabetical order:
1. Accountability Initiative, Centre for Policy Research (AI CPR)
2. Alive & Thrive (A&T)
3. Association of Indian Coalition for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD)
4. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)
5. Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)
6. IDinsight
7. Iodine Global Network (IGN)
8. Institute of Economic Growth (IEG)
9. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
10. International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie)
11. National Centre of Excellence and Advanced Research on Anemia Control
(NCEAR-A)
12. National Centre of Excellence and Advanced Research on Diets (NCEARD)
13. National Institute of Nutrition (NIN)
14. NITI Aayog
15. Nutrition International (NI)
16. Society for Applied Studies (SAS)
17. The India Nutrition Initiative (TINI)
18. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
19. World Bank (WB)
About the banner
The banner is a stylized representation of the coverage of a set of key nutrition and
health interventions in India. These interventions are delivered through two large-
scale national program platforms – the Integrated Child Development Services and
the National Health Mission. India’s efforts at scaling up nutrition interventions are
supported by the National Nutrition Mission, or POSHAN Abhiyaan. The nutrition
community in India strives to achieve at-scale, that is 100 percent, coverage of all
core nutrition interventions across the continuum of care, throughout the country.
Design credits
The photographs used in the banner are shot by Shawn Sebastian, freelance
photographer and filmmaker, for IFPRI. The design is created by Jamed Falik,
Manager, Visual Design and Production, in IFPRI’s Communications and Public
Affairs team, based in Washington DC.

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Table of Contents
Conference background and overview.......................................................................4
Background ............................................................................................................4
Why implementation research? ..............................................................................4
Process...................................................................................................................5
Participants.............................................................................................................5
Presentations..........................................................................................................5
About conference summary report..........................................................................5
Agenda overview........................................................................................................6
Pre-conference workshops: September 14, 2020 ......................................................7
Using cognitive interviewing to improve survey questions: Bridging the gap
between intent and interpretation ...........................................................................7
Quality of Nutrition Service delivery and the role of data in improving quality.........7
Building a survey toolkit to assure quality nutrition data with appropriate gender
indicators ................................................................................................................8
DAY ONE: September 15, 2020.................................................................................9
OPENING SESSION ..............................................................................................9
Opening & launch of India Nutrition Implementation Research Gap Map...............9
PLENARY SESSION 1......................................................................................... 10
Building quality health (and other) systems to deliver impact for nutrition ............ 10
ABSTRACT-BASED THEMATIC SESSION 1...................................................... 11
Supporting nutrition behaviors in the first 1000 days ............................................ 11
ABSTRACT-BASED THEMATIC SESSION 2 (PARALLEL)................................. 12
Bringing it together for good nutrition: What will convergence take? .................... 12
Systems strengthening: Human resources, infrastructure, and financing............. 13
DAY TWO: September 16, 2020 .............................................................................. 14
PLENARY SESSION 2......................................................................................... 14
What is the role of food supplements in large-scale nutrition programs: The state
of the evidence ..................................................................................................... 14
Scaling up interventions to tackle anemia............................................................. 15
What we eat: How different aspects of food systems come together ................... 16
Systems strengthening: What role can technology play? ..................................... 18
DAY THREE: September 17, 2020 .......................................................................... 19

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PLENARY SESSION 3......................................................................................... 19
Supporting adequate child growth in times of crisis: Why does it matter? ............ 19
Severe wasting in India: Technical and programmatic insights ............................ 20
Women together: Consolidating insights from women's group programs for
nutrition................................................................................................................. 21
Systems strengthening: Using data to improve programs .................................... 22
DAY FOUR: September 18, 2020 ............................................................................ 24
ABSTRACT-BASED THEMATIC SESSION 10 .................................................... 24
COVID-19 and nutrition: Early insights from around India .................................... 24
ABSTRACT-BASED THEMATIC SESSION 11 (PARALLEL)............................... 26
Enhancing the reach and impact of cash transfers in the first 1000 days: What will
it take?.................................................................................................................. 26
ABSTRACT-BASED THEMATIC SESSION 12 (PARALLEL)............................... 27
Systems strengthening: Building technical and operational capacities................. 27
CLOSING SESSION............................................................................................. 29
From evidence to policy: Key insights from Delivering for Nutrition 2020 ............. 29
SOCIAL HANGOUTS & VIRTUAL AWARDS........................................................... 31
POSTER PRESENTATIONS ................................................................................... 32
Supporting nutrition behaviors in the first 1000 days ............................................ 32
Bringing it together for good nutrition: What will convergence take? .................... 33
Systems strengthening: Human resources, infrastructure, and financing............. 33
Scaling up interventions to tackle anemia............................................................. 33
What we eat: How different aspects of food systems come together ................... 33
Systems strengthening: What role can technology play? ..................................... 34
Severe wasting in India: Technical and programmatic insights ............................ 34
Women together: Consolidating insights from women's group programs for
nutrition................................................................................................................. 34
Systems strengthening: Using data to improve programs .................................... 34
Systems strengthening: Building technical and operational capacities................. 35
An urbanizing world: Implications for nutrition programs ...................................... 35
Child growth and development ............................................................................. 35

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Conference background and overview
Delivering for Nutrition in India: Insights from Implementation Research was
the third India-focused nutrition implementation research conference and the first
ever virtual conference on nutrition implementation research. Previous in-person
conferences were held in 2016 and in 2019.
Background
India’s major nutrition efforts - POSHAN Abhiyaan, and initiatives like ‘Anemia Mukt
Bharat’ and ‘Eat Right India’ – aim to address malnutrition in all its forms in India.
These efforts recognize the importance of the first 1000 days of life, the value of
scaling up effective interventions, the critical role of improving nutrition-related
behaviors for all, and of addressing the underlying social determinants of India’s
malnutrition challenge through actions in diverse sectors. They also explicitly
recognize the importance of political and administrative leadership and of tackling
governance and strengthening systems. Crises like pandemics and natural disasters
have the potential to stall progress, but not if programs adapt, transform and
redeploy with new vigor.
Why implementation research?
The success of these massive efforts across India ultimately depend on improving
coverage and quality of interventions and effectively addressing social, economic
and other factors that can support families to adopt healthy diets and lifestyles.
The discussions and deliberations emerging from this conference are expected to convey
research-based insights to nutrition stakeholders and policymakers, in a collective voice, to
bolster actions for tackling India’s nutrition challenge.

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Implementation research can help identify challenges, test solutions, and inform
program scale-up and sustainability.
Process
Through an open call, abstracts were invited on research studies and
implementation experiences focused on various aspects of POSHAN Abhiyaan and
other platforms supporting actions for nutrition. Selection of abstracts for oral
presentation and posters was made through a double-blind review process.
Participants
More than 1800 academics, implementers, development partners, and policymakers
from multiple institutes registered on a common platform to share and discuss
evidence on strengthening the implementation of maternal and child nutrition
initiatives. Average participation in conference sessions varied between 80 – 270.
Presentations
A total of 51 abstract-based oral and 56 poster presentations were programmed
under 12 carefully selected themes. Of the 12 thematic sessions, 8 were parallel
sessions. The conference program also featured 3 pre-conference workshops, 3
plenary lecture sessions, 3 social hangouts and opening and closing panels with
policymakers and research funders. Researchers shared science-based update on
tackling various nutrition outcomes, such as stunting, wasting and anemia.
Researchers and implementers together examined evidence on multiple causes of
malnutrition, including maternal, infant and young child nutrition behaviors and
household diets. Findings on implementing a range of interventions such as food
supplementation, micronutrient supplements, cash transfers, behavior change, and
actions in food systems were also discussed. Four conference sessions focused on
key delivery platforms, like the Integrated Child Development Services, health
systems and women’s group platforms, including on efforts to strengthen those
systems using technology, data, and building capacities and infrastructure. Insights
were also shared on what it would take to achieve convergence of interventions on
every mother-child dyad. And finally, a session showcased merging research on
delivery of nutrition services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
About conference summary report
In this conference summary report a snapshot of the sessions has been captured.
Recordings of oral and poster presentations, plenaries, and opening and closing
sessions are available online. These can be accessed by clicking on presentation
and session titles in the report.
You can also visit the event webpage to explore more.

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Agenda overview
Time (all times
IST)
Pre-conference workshops
Sep 14, Monday
DAY 1
Sep 15, Tuesday
DAY 2
Sep 16, Wednesday
DAY 3
Sep 17, Thursday
DAY 4
Sep 18, Friday
10:00-10:30 Using cognitive interviewing to
improve survey questions:
Bridging the gap between
intent and interpretation
International Food Policy
Research Institute
10:30-11:00 Opening session & launch
of the India Nutrition
Implementation Research
Gap Map
11:00-11:30
11:30-12:00
Break
Thematic session
T4: Scaling up interventions to
tackle anemia
Thematic session
T7: Severe wasting in India:
Technical and programmatic
insights
Thematic session
T10: COVID-19 and nutrition:
Early insights from around India12:00-12:30 Thematic session
T1: Supporting nutrition
behaviors in the first 1000
days
12:30-13:00
13:00-13:30 Social hangout (Dance) Social hangout (Quiz) Social hangout (Zumba)
13:30-14:00 Quality of nutrition service
delivery and the role of data in
improving quality
Alive & Thrive
Break & poster viewing
14:00-14:30
14:30-15:00
15:00-15:30 Building a survey toolkit to
assure quality nutrition data
with appropriate gender
indicators
Nutrition International
Thematic sessions
T11: Enhancing the reach and
impact of cash transfers in the
first 1000 days: What will it
take?
T12: Systems strengthening:
Building technical and
operational capacities
15:30-16:00 Thematic sessions
T2: Bringing it together for
good nutrition: What will
convergence take?
Human resources,
infrastructure, and financing
Thematic sessions
T5: What we eat: How different
aspects of food systems come
together
What role can technology play?
Thematic sessions
T8: Women together:
Consolidating insights from
women's group programs for
nutrition
Using data to improve programs
16:00-16:30
16:30-17:00 Closing session: From
evidence to policy: Key insights
from Delivering for Nutrition 202017:00-17:30
17:30-18:00 Plenary lecture
P1: Building quality health
(and other) systems to
deliver impact for nutrition
Plenary lecture
P2: What is the role of food
supplements in large-scale
nutrition programs: The state of
the evidence
Plenary lecture
P3: Supporting adequate child
growth in times of crisis: Why
does it matter?
18:00-18:30

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Pre-conference workshops: September 14, 2020
Using cognitive interviewing to improve survey questions: Bridging the
gap between intent and interpretation
International Food Policy Research Institute
Around 40 participants joined this workshop on the importance of cognitive
interviewing and looked at findings from a study on respectful maternity care
conducted in Madhya Pradesh, India, shared by Kerry Scott from Johns Hopkins
School of Public Health and Osama Ummer from Oxford Policy Management.
Sattvika Ashok and Emily Myers from IFPRI presented insights on enhancing survey
questions on maternal and child nutrition intervention coverage in large-scale
nationally representative household surveys, and cognitive interview findings from
Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index in Malawi. There were interactive
activity polls conducted on Slido. Participants raised several pertinent questions on
the allocation of time and resources for cognitive interviewing in survey planning, and
applicability of cognitive interviewing in the context of phone surveys and COVID-19.
Quality of Nutrition Service delivery and the role of data in improving
quality
Alive & Thrive
In this workshop, hosted by Alive & Thrive in collaboration with IPEG We CaN and
National Data Quality Forum (NDQF), a total of around 340 participants joined live,
either on zoom or YouTube. Sebanti Ghosh from Alive & Thrive, shared the purpose
of this workshop on quality, which was aimed to create a dialogue to prioritize quality
in delivering nutrition services and define a collective action agenda. Alok Ranjan
The key purpose of the pre-conference workshops was to promote learning and capacity
building around implementation research.

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from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation highlighted the need for a momentum
around quality in nutrition to achieve the desired impact and the importance for all
the partners to define and agree on what quality means for impactful sustainable
nutrition service delivery. Rajesh Mehta from the World Health Organization, South-
East Asia Regional Office spoke on the principles of quality improvement in health
and nutrition service delivery and shared practices of improving quality through use
of data. He expressed the need of integrated in-services and post-services skills of
quality improvement for provider and managers. Abha Mehndiratta from the Institute
for Healthcare Improvement spoke on the linkages between improving quality and
use of data. Rajib Acharya from the Population Council and Lead for NDQF, shared
insights on why improving data quality, especially program data is important for
improving health and nutrition services. Thomas Forissier from Alive & Thrive
facilitated an open discussion on identifying priority themes for defining quality in
nutrition services, key dimensions of quality in nutrition service delivery, and priority
action to improve the quality of nutrition services. The deliberations highlighted that
poor quality is a greater contributor to mortality than non-utilization, importance of
building a quality culture and integrating the same in institutional functioning,
ensuring community engagement as equal partners in delivery of quality care and
use of data on quality of nutrition services for decision making at provider and
manager level. The key next step would be a core group of partners coming together
and aligning on a common definition of quality in nutrition service delivery and
developing plans for measuring quality on continuous basis to take facilitative
actions.
Building a survey toolkit to assure quality nutrition data with appropriate
gender indicators
Nutrition International
Led by Nutrition International’s team of Sara Wuehler and Sarah Pentlow, this
workshop was attended by over 130 participants. The first part of the workshop
focused on engaging participants for building a strong system in the nutrition data life
cycle by taking Nutrition International’s Nutrition Intervention Monitoring System
(NIMS) as an example. The facilitator explained the stepwise and systematic
approach of the monitoring data life cycle which should be built progressively and
verified retrospectively, in order to make it most efficient and have a strong
foundation. The second part of the workshop laid stress on including gender equality
as a core aspect as part of program studies and evaluation. The session began with
a poll asking participants to answer what they understood by an “empowerment lens”
as well as what is the purpose and use of Gender equality and Women’s
empowerment indicators. The session engaged in discussions on how good nutrition
and gender equality are directly proportional, laying stress on the greater need to
have gender indicators in nutrition programming. The facilitator also emphasized on
the criteria for selection of indicators and the need for conducting qualitative
research on Sex & Gender Based Analysis (SGBA) and a Logic Model based on
empowerment, for improved health & nutrition outcomes in the longer term.
Participant engagement was ensured through an interactive poll and lively Q&A.

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DAY ONE: September 15, 2020
OPENING SESSION
Opening & launch of India Nutrition Implementation Research Gap Map
At the inaugural session, the India Nutrition Implementation Research Gap Map was
launched by International Initiative for Impact Evaluation and the International Food
Policy Research Institute. This gap map will help in setting priorities for future
research and identifying high priority implementation research questions to address
the gaps.
In a panel discussion that followed, Shahid Jameel from India Alliance spoke about
expanding funding support to help close delivery gaps in nutrition. The following
panelists talked about building research capabilities and research funding in India:
• R Hemalatha, National Institute of Nutrition
• Ashutosh Jain, Development Monitoring & Evaluation Office, NITI Aayog
• Harish Iyer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Shirshendu Mukherjee, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council.
“This conference on Delivering for Nutrition is an opportunity for us to learn together about
the successes and constraints in implementation of nutrition interventions in real life
settings.” Purnima Menon, International Food Policy Research Institute
“The India Nutrition Implementation Research Gap Map will help us set priorities for future
research and develop high priority implementation research questions to address the gaps."
Stuti Tripathi, International Initiative for Impact Evaluation

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PLENARY SESSION 1
Building quality health (and other) systems to deliver impact for nutrition
In a presentation on “Quality in health systems and implications for nutrition”,
Margaret E. Kruk, from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public, pointed to the
significance of quality and utilization of services to ensure good health. Four
structural reforms required for high quality health systems include governing for
quality, modernizing education, redesigning service delivery and igniting demand.
Alok Kumar, from Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Uttar
Pradesh, agreed that building quality health systems is a time-consuming process
and highlighted the importance of community involvement. Governments are better
at ensuring supply-side interventions, but for demand-side interventions community
involvement is essential. Rajani Ved, from National Health Systems Resource
Center, emphasized that the issue of quality is about convergence. The platform of
frontline workers (AAA) works well in many ways. But sharing of goals is not there.
We need to move beyond power hierarchy because that limits convergence. Due to
the multifactoral nature of nutrition, several determinants need to be addressed.
Community is an integral part of the equation, while looking for answers.
"Four structural reforms required for high quality health systems include governing for
quality, modernizing education, redesigning service delivery and igniting demand." Margaret
E. Kruk, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
"Community involvement is essential for winning the battle against malnutrition." Alok
Kumar, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Uttar Pradesh
"The issue of quality is about convergence. The platform of frontline workers (AAA) works
well in many ways. It needs further support and supervision." Rajani Ved, National Health
Systems Resource Center

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ABSTRACT-BASED THEMATIC SESSION 1
Supporting nutrition behaviors in the first 1000 days
Co-chaired by Phuong Nguyen and Purnima Menon, International Food Policy
Research Institute, this session included two presentations and an audience poll on
the maternal, infant and young child nutrition practices.
1. A community-based convergent approach in ensuring pregnancy weight
gain and reduction of anemia; S G Mukherjee, Child In Need Institute
This presentation showcased an implementation experience in three diversified
blocks of West Bengal and pointed to the scope of incorporating nutrition risk
assessment and BMI calculation during pregnancy as part of antenatal package
for pregnant women.
2. Impact of Mother-Baby Friendly Initiative Plus on use of human milk for
term and preterm neonates; Ruchika C Sachdeva, PATH
This research study presented the Mother Baby Friendly Initiative plus (MBFI+)
model for integrating breastfeeding support, kangaroo mother care and provision
of pasteurized donor human milk for needy babies.
Participants engaged actively with panelists through live questions. Some interesting
discussion points emerged, like demystifying the technical concepts in nutrition for
district and block level officials and frontline workers to enable effective counseling.
KEY MESSAGE: Maternal, infant and young child nutrition practices in the first 1000 days
Maternal, infant and young child nutrition practices in the first 1000 days must remain a focus given
the poor state of maternal and infant diets. But program efforts must recognize that these practices
are affected by a range of factors (knowledge, skills and motivation along with household
resources, caregiver time and workload). Therefore, bringing together behavior change efforts with
other programs to fully support 1000-day households will be essential to help households practice
good nutrition.

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ABSTRACT-BASED THEMATIC SESSION 2 (PARALLEL)
Bringing it together for good nutrition: What will convergence take?
Co-chaired by Rasmi Avula, International Food Policy Research Institute, and Alok
Ranjan, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this session included four presentations,
followed by participant questions.
1. Frontline perspectives on implementing a convergent framework of action
against malnutrition in urban informal settlements in Mumbai; Sudha
Ramani, Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action, Mumbai
This study examined the attitudes of frontline workers of ICDS based in urban
informal settlements on working in convergence with the public health sector.
2. Close the gap in nutrition; Neha Saigal, IPE Global
This implementation experience aimed to build evidence on the role of
accountability in bridging nutrition inequities through improved access to nutrition
services for the most marginalized groups, specifically scheduled tribes.
3. Field-level experiences with convergence: Work with POSHAN Abhiyaan;
Sneha Palit, Piramal Foundation
Through this presentation, in-depth experiences of working with convergence
action plan committees were shared.
4. Mainstreaming Nutrition Agenda in Gram Panchayats; C S Gowda,
Sulochana Thapar Foundation
This presentation looked at interventions at various levels for strengthening the
abilities of gram panchayats to contribute to accelerate nutrition outcomes.
KEY MESSAGE: What will convergence take?
Despite many program efforts aimed at convergence, the current state of effective convergence –
i.e., reach of key programs to vulnerable 1000-day households – remains out of reach. Both
research and new implementation efforts are needed to ensure that multiple programs and
interventions, together, create a circle of protection for every 1000-day household.

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Systems strengthening: Human resources, infrastructure, and financing
Co-chaired by Avani Kapur, Accountability Initiative, and William Joe, Institute of
Economic Growth, this session included five presentations, followed by participant
questions to panelists.
1. Public private partnership for system strengthening (ICDS): A case of
Swasth Bharat Prerak Program; Prapti Adhikari, The India Nutrition Initiative
This implementation experience found that convergence is a key to efficient
service delivery and brings about a systematic mainstreaming to strengthen it.
2. Quality assessment of MIYCN service delivery in the ‘First 1000 Days of
Life’; Shailesh Jagtap, Alive & Thrive
This initiative demonstrated the feasibility of effective linkages formed between
the medical education department and the state health mission.
3. Social Audit under National Food Security Act 2013; Tapan Gope, GIZ
This implementation experience shared lessons from a pilot in the Khandwa
district of Madhya Pradesh.
4. Social identity, recognition and redistribution in health service delivery;
Soumya Pancholi, Government of Haryana and Ashoka University
This study suggested that there needs to be a tailored approach in ensuring that
specific needs of the disadvantaged groups are met.
5. Financing nutrition in India; Ritwik Shukla, Accountability Initiative
This study estimated the potential costs to deliver a core set of direct nutrition
interventions at scale across India for the year 2019-20.
KEY MESSAGE: Systems strengthening: Human resources, infrastructure, and financing
Research highlights that different aspects of the current systems delivering nutrition interventions
need to be strengthened as these are the building blocks for high quality program delivery.
Investments are needed in infrastructure, financing and human resources.

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DAY TWO: September 16, 2020
PLENARY SESSION 2
What is the role of food supplements in large-scale nutrition programs:
The state of the evidence
Presenting an evidence update on the impact of food supplements on nutrition
outcomes for women and children, Zulfiqar Bhutta, from SickKids and the University
of Toronto, said that food supplements are the double-edged sword for combating
the growing double and triple burdens of malnutrition. Evidence strongly points that
integration of food supplements is important in countries like India where large
population lives in food insecure households. Rajan Sankar, from The India Nutrition
Initiative, and Shariqua Yunus, from World Food Progrmme, talked about the
supplementary foods in Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), India’s
nutrition program, focusing on Take-home ration (THR) as an entry point to improve
complementary feeding. THR can drive impact by improving complementary feeding,
delivery of other nutrition services and serving as an ideal food supplement for
pregnant and lactating women. This session was attended by nearly 135 participants
who actively engaged in discussions through Q&A on topics including balanced
energy protein and lipid nutrient supplements for children in the Indian context. It was
emphasized that the nutrition community needs to work towards making THR work
better in terms of acceptability, quality, and how it fits with local diets.
KEY MESSAGE: Role of food supplements in nutrition programs
Scientific evidence supports the inclusion of high-quality food supplements in nutrition programs.
For India, in addition to updating nutritional composition of foods included in the ICDS, for women
and for children, more efforts are now needed to address implementation areas that affect the
reach, quality and uptake of these foods across state models. Efforts are also needed to deepen
the integration of food supplements with other aspects of the program.

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Scaling up interventions to tackle anemia
Co-chaired by Samuel Scott from International Food Policy Research Institute, and
Kapil Yadav from All India institute of Medical Sciences, this session saw
enthusiastic participation by over 250 attendees. There were three presentations and
an active engagement through live Q&A with panelists.
1. Factors associated with increased adherence to iron and folic acid
supplementation among pregnant women; Mini Varghese, Nutrition
International
Presenting results from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat, this study
showed that increasing the number of ANC visits coupled with counselling and
awareness about IFA supplementation increases IFA consumption.
2. A socio-normative intervention to reduce anemia in Odisha; Lipika Patro, IPE
Global
Learnings from the Reductions in Anemia through Normative Innovations project
demonstrated the efficacy of a behavior change intervention to reduce anemia
among women of reproductive age in Odisha by increasing IFA supplement use.
3. Addressing adolescent anemia in vulnerable urban Indian communities;
Rama Shyam, Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action, Mumbai
This study highlighted the need for a holistic approach to address anemia among
adolescents, supporting the interdepartmental convergence among Health and
Family Welfare, Education as well as Women and Child Development.
KEY MESSAGE: Scaling up interventions to tackle anemia
Anemia affects women and men across India; research has focused on understanding use and
uptake of iron supplements among women, but more attention is needed to addressing adolescent
anemia and on addressing men’s anemia. As with other challenges, anemia is caused by factors
other than iron intake, and those additional factors such as infection, inflammation, other nutrients,
all need attention.

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What we eat: How different aspects of food systems come together
Co-chaired by Suneetha Kadiyala, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine,
and Avula Laxmaiah, National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical
Research, this session included five presentations.
1. Empowered state food commission led convergence efforts enhance food
and nutrition services; Niranjan Bariyar, Odisha State Food Commission
This implementation experience presented last four years’ learnings of the
Odisha State Food Commission led convergence efforts at various levels.
2. Long-term double fortified salt usage for child health in rural Bihar; Liza von
Grafenstein, Goettingen University
This study looked at ways in which a childhood intervention unfolds in outcomes
for young adolescents and showed the potential of fortified foods in the midday
meal scheme to increase health of adolescents.
3. Technical assistance and research for Indian nutrition and agriculture;
Soumya Gupta, Tata- Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition
This presentation showed that the outcomes of this implementation experience
were related to increased demand for nutritious food, enhanced production
system diversity, reduction in seasonal food deficits and empowerment of
women’s SHGs.
KEY MESSAGE: What we eat: How different aspects of food systems come together
Food systems include all the ways in which nutritious food reaches our plates. Across rural and
urban India, more efforts are needed to consolidate previous research that cuts across issues of
agriculture-nutrition linkages, food fortification, food in public programs, and unhealthy food
environments. These efforts need to go beyond agriculture-nutrition linkages and be more
comprehensive, especially because food environments are changing rapidly both in urban and in
rural areas.

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4. Novel framework to engage with government and other stakeholders; Agnita
RN, Karnataka Health Promotion Trust
This presentation shared experiences of staple food fortification program
implementation in 15 states of India by linking government, private sector and
civil society through a participatory partnership.
5. Improving nutrition through safe, healthy, sustainable diets; Arun Singhal,
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
Sharing experiences from Eat Right India, this presentation showed that while it
is early to assess outcomes and impacts, testing over its two-year
implementation has demonstrated the success of strategies and approaches.
Participants engaged enthusiastically with panelists through their presentation
specific questions.
"Lessons of the last decade in nutrition-
sensitive agriculture must be taken forward
for nutrition-sensitive food systems."
Suneetha Kadiyala, London School of
Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

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Systems strengthening: What role can technology play?
Co-chaired by Mohini Kak, World Bank, and Rasmi Avula, International Food Policy
Research Institute, this session included four presentations, followed by participant
questions and comments by panelists.
1. IT-based nutrition performance review tool for strengthening review
mechanism in National Health Mission, Jharkhand; Sraban Kumar
Badayanak, WeCan & IPE Global
This presentation shared about the use of Nutrition Performance Review Tool in
Jharkhand, which has significantly reduced the time taken for data analysis.
2. Real-time screening and monitoring of Malnutrition; Krati Jain, UNICEF &
Nikhil Tikaram Funde, Government of Uttar Pradesh
This pilot study was focused on correct and real-time monitoring of all indicators
of malnutrition for effective convergent intervention for eradication of malnutrition.
3. The key to harnessing power of technology: Putting the user at the center;
Ramkrishnan B, CARE India
This study shared about the Bihar Technical Support Program’s mobile-based
application which puts frontline workers at the center of the design process,
addressing her challenges with customized features.
4. Financing technology for nutrition: A case study; Avani Kapur, Accountability
Initiative
The analysis presented in this study outlined a methodology and provided a
benchmark to calculate costs for the roll out of the ICDS-CAS program in India. It
also provided estimates for scale up across India, that can help policymakers.
KEY MESSAGE: Systems strengthening: What role can technology play?
Emerging findings on the use of technology suggest positive impacts on program implementation
but more is needed to make technology solutions even more effective at scale.

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DAY THREE: September 17, 2020
PLENARY SESSION 3
Supporting adequate child growth in times of crisis: Why does it matter?
Making a presentation on “Estimated impacts of COVID-19 on child wasting and
mortality”, Marie Ruel, from International Food Policy Research Institute, discussed
how COVID-19 is affecting all key systems we rely on for improving nutrition, and
emphasized on the need for taking sustained action and making investments in
nutrition. Jef Leroy, from International Food Policy Research Institute, talked about
the implications of COVID-19 on child growth and pointed to significance of COVID-
19 mitigation efforts that should prevent child undernutrition now, rather than to treat
it later. Sharing data from the intervention group of an ongoing trial, Ranadip
Chowdhary, from Society for Applied Studies, gave insights on early wasting in India
and suggested that a package of interventions in the domains of health, nutrition,
psycho-social care and WASH can play a protective role in ensuring adequate child
growth. Reflections on addressing wasting in India during COVID-19 and beyond
were presented by Harshpal Singh Sachdev, from Sitaram Bharti Hospital and
Medical Research Centre. It was noted that during Poshan Maah in India, there is a
focus on screening and management of severely malnourished children, but there
should be emphasis on prevention of severe acute malnutrition at the first place.
KEY MESSAGE: Supporting adequate child growth in times of crisis: Why does it matter?
Both stunting and wasting are disturbances to the overall normal patterns of growth in the first two
years and share similar causes. Prevention should therefore be the mainstay of the programmatic
focus, focusing on maternal nutrition, child health and infant feeding practices. Additional support
will be needed for vulnerable 1000-day households in context of COVID-19. Efforts to screen and
treat malnourished children and support their households remain an urgent need. Preventing both
forms of child undernutrition and treating wasting today will prevent later development
consequences.

20
Severe wasting in India: Technical and programmatic insights
Co-chaired by Abner Daniel from UNICEF India, and Tarun Choudhury from Society
for Applied Studies, this session saw enthusiastic participation of more than 200
attendees. They active engagement through Q&A box with panelists.
1. Early identification: Key to improve nutritional status of SAM and MAM
children; Lahari Yaddanapudi, Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural
Areas, IIT Mumbai; This study analyzed the impact of interventions and identified
practices that worked in reversal of wasting in children in urban slums and
supported the intensified nutrition services during the first 1000 days.
2. Incidence of severe acute malnutrition among children under five in Bihar;
Aritra Das, CARE India; This study presented the incidence and natural course of
severe acute malnutrition among children under five in Bihar and noted that
identification, referral and treatment is particularly weak in the state. Hence there
is an urgent need to strengthen health systems and capacities.
3. Rehabilitating undernourished children through Poshan Sanjha Chulah
approach; Harish Chand, World Vision India; This implementation experience
highlighted that undernutrition can be averted by identifying the nutritional status
of children through regular screening and timely interventions such as Poshan
Sanjha Chulah and this could be a feasible approach to rehabilitate them.
4. Experience with community management of SAM in Abu Road block of
Sirohi district, Rajasthan; Ishaprasad Bhagwat, The India Nutrition Initiative;
This implementation experience highlighted that for children with severe acute
malnutrition, to ensure sustainability of gains made by interventions, a
comprehensive programming must include socio-economic factors.
"It is important to focus on prevention of wasting by taking action to avoid low birth weight,
targeting on IYCF practices and WASH interventions. Early identification of children with
severe acute malnutrition is also essential." Abner DanieI, UNICEF India.

21
Women together: Consolidating insights from women's group programs
for nutrition
Co-chaired by Sapna Desai from Population Council, and Kalyani Raghunathan from
International Food Policy Research Institute, this session included four
presentations, followed by participant questions and remarks by co-chairs.
1. Leveraging and institutionalization of community-led multi-sector
integrated interventions; Monica Shrivastav, ROSHNI Lady Irwin College; This
presentation had implementation learnings from a multi-sectoral community-led
program to improve adolescent girls’ and women’s nutrition.
2. Changing dietary diversity in 6-23-month-old children through women’s
collectives; Rakesh Jha, Project Concern International; This presentation shared
learning from an implementation experience about changing dietary diversity
using several touch points and novel behavior change interventions.
3. Learnings from a comprehensive evaluation of a nutrition-focused pilot
intervention through women’s SHGs in Bihar; Avishek Hazra, Population
Council; This study evaluated a pilot intervention to accelerate behavior change
communication and improve child feeding practices and presented results on the
program’s effectiveness in improving child dietary diversity.
4. Role of participatory women group-based intervention in improving health
and nutrition behavior of lactating mothers; Reshmi RS, International Institute
for Population Sciences; This study evaluated the influence of delivering
interventions through female-community-resource-persons on nutrition-related
behavior of lactating mothers and their reach to the most-marginalized sections.
"Behavior change messages around diets and nutrition should go beyond women and
involve all members of the family." Kalyani Raghunathan, International Food Policy Research
Institute

22
Systems strengthening: Using data to improve programs
Co-chaired by Manita Jangid from International Food Policy Research Institute, and
Divya Nair from IDinsight, this session included five presentations. There was an
online audience poll to understand attendees' perceptions on data availability, data
use and data quality for nutrition programming. This was followed by participant
questions and comments by panelists.
1. A comprehensive framework of indicators to track progress on nutrition in
India; Manita Jangid, IFPRI
This presentation looked at how to bring data together for relevant progress
tracking and to create insights for action, presented the India nutrition indicator
framework and highlighted the significance of data stewardship to ensure its
effective use.
2. M-Health intervention has the potential to alleviate constraints in using
administrative data systems for improving service delivery in India; Rasmi
Avula, IFPRI
This study presented factors influencing administrative data use in India’s
Integrated Child Development Services program in two Indian states and
assessed how an m-Health intervention changes it.
3. Strategic use of program data (SUD) as system strengthening measure to
improve the implementation of maternal nutrition interventions; Vishal
Shastri, Alive & Thrive
This implementation experience from Uttar Pradesh emphasized that strategic
use of program data is critical for decision making to support intervention
KEY MESSAGE: Systems strengthening: Using data to improve programs
Findings on data use provide new insights into how program implementers at multiple levels use
data for program improvement; these insights should be carefully considered.

23
planning, providing targeted supervision and supporting improved performance of
frontline workers in provision of quality maternal nutrition services.
4. Reflections on the use of data in the Aspirational Districts Program; Rama
Kamaraju, NITI Aayog
In this presentation, insights from aspirational districts program were shared
where efforts are being made to transform 112 most backward districts of India
through data-driven governance and fostering evidence-based policy.
5. Reflections on supporting India’s development programs with data; Divya
Nair, IDinsight
This presentation looked at ways in which IDinsight has supported the data
pipeline in the nutrition space across India and deliberated on issues that hamper
data production and use.
" More data is being collected than what is
being used. We need to focus on data
prioritization. Enabling information sharing
across frontline workers will improve both
data production and its use." Divya Nair,
IDinsight

24
DAY FOUR: September 18, 2020
COVID-19 and nutrition: Early insights from around India
Co-chaired by Suneeta Krishnan from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Robert
Johnston from UNICEF India, this session saw enthusiastic participation of more
than 200 attendees. There were six presentations and an active participant
engagement through Q&A box with panelists.
1. Monitoring POSHAN Abhiyaan in Rajasthan and Jharkhand; Aditi Gupta,
IDinsight
This study presented results and recommendations that have a direct use in
improving nutrition programming in Rajasthan and Jharkhand and informing
programming decisions for various key stakeholders.
2. The agriculture-nutrition nexus in the time of COVID-19; Lindsay Jaacks,
University of Edinburgh
This study assessed the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on agricultural
production, livelihoods, food security, and dietary diversity.
3. Complementary feeding practices among children of age 6-24 months in
four districts of Rajasthan; Vanita Dutta & Minakshi Singh, UNICEF India
This implementation experience provided hand-holding and supportive
supervision to frontline functionaries, mothers and caregivers on safe and age-
appropriate complementary feeding practices.
KEY MESSAGE: COVID-19 and nutrition: Early insights from around India
Several new findings are emerging from researchers across India on COVID-19 and aspects of
nutrition. Creating routine opportunities to review research findings with researchers in India and to
invest in distilling insights for policy across different data sources and data types.

25
4. The effects of early and repeat migration on nutrition among circular
migrant children in Bihar; Reshma Roshania, Emory University, CARE India
This study demonstrated the criticality of providing convergent intersectoral
services to circular migrant women and children and shed light on the exclusion
of migrants from the health system.
5. Community response and re-training of frontline health workers during
COVID-19 crisis; Nikhat Shaikh, Society for Nutrition, Education and Health
Action
This study presented the perceptions of communities in urban informal
settlements of Mumbai on COVID-19 and documented health workers’ responses
to the pandemic in terms of implementing intervention strategies.
6. Understanding Access to Nutrition in the Context of the Covid-19 Pandemic
– Insights from a rapid assessment; Alok Vajpeyi, Population Foundation of
India; Vasudha Chakravarthy, Development Solutions
This study, conducted in five states, highlighted that it is critical for nutrition
programs to adapt to the emerging COVID-19 contexts to ensure that gains made
in addressing childhood malnutrition, nutrition of pregnant women and adolescent
girls, are sustained.
" Our success during this pandemic will
depend on how we come together and
stay together as a community." Suneeta
Krishnan, Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation

26
Enhancing the reach and impact of cash transfers in the first 1000 days:
What will it take?
Chaired by Shobhini Mukerji from J-PAL South Asia, this session included four
presentations, followed by participant questions and an overview of J-PAL's Cash
Transfers for Child Health (CaTCH) Initiative.
1. The impact of conditional cash transfers on the height and weight of young
children; Vedavati Patwardhan, University of Washington, Seattle
This study presented evidence from the Mamata Scheme in Odisha and
contributed to the evidence-base on cash transfers and child nutrition in India.
2. Role of intersectoral convergence in effective implementation of Pradhan
Mantri Matru Vandana Yojna scheme; Heena Shaikh, Piramal Foundation
This study showed that convergence aids in achieving effective coverage and
delivery of services and cash benefits under the PMMVY scheme.
3. An evaluation of PMMVY in Rajasthan; Nilesh Yadav, The India Nutrition
Initiative, Tata Trusts; This study revealed the impediments to the intended
impact reaching the beneficiaries and recommended ways of surmounting them.
4. Insights from implementation of PMMVY in Madhya Pradesh; Manoj
Mohanan, Duke University; This study of PMMVY implementation looked at key
potential areas for program bottlenecks, from program awareness, enrolments,
payments to financial inclusions, and recommended possible solutions.
KEY MESSAGE: Enhancing the reach and impact of cash transfers in the first 1000 days
The design of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojna (PMMVY) scheme is well-targeted to the
1000-day window but research suggests that efforts are needed to increase awareness of the cash
transfer program, to make program enrolment processes easy, reduce payment delays to ensure
timely age-targeting, and connect the PMMVY cash transfers more effectively with existing
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and health services to enhance impact.

27
Systems strengthening: Building technical and operational capacities
Co-chaired by Thomas Forissier from Alive & Thrive and Deepika N Chaudhery from
World Bank, this session included five presentations. These were followed by
participant questions and comments by panelists.
1. Trends in ICDS service awareness and uptake; Apurva Tiwari, Society for
Nutrition, Education and Health Action, Mumbai
This implementation experience indicated that ICDS service delivery could be
bolstered with effective training, resilient monitoring options and improved
community participation.
2. Experiences of strengthening IYCF services in select districts of Uttar
Pradesh and Gujarat for children 6-23 months; Vinay Koparde, Nutrition
International
This presentation recommended the strengthening of ICDS platform through
quality improvement measures along with improved behavior change
communication and mentoring of ICDS functionaries.
3. Assessment of ILA trainings in 11 Aspirational Districts across seven
states; Punit Kumar Mishra, Piramal Foundation
The study findings showed anganwadi workers found the ILA trainings
informative and helpful in improving the quality of their work.
4. High in the morale or down in the dump: Motivation of frontline workers
and its predictors - the Bihar story; Sweta Kumari, CARE India
KEY MESSAGE: Systems strengthening: Building technical and operational capacities
A range of efforts remain important on supporting the operational and technical capabilities that can
support high quality program delivery.

28
This study highlighted the need for targeted interventions to ensure quality
training and building intrinsic motivational drivers for the frontline workers.
5. Strengthening the capacity of industries to fortify staple foods in India;
Shakun Sharma, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition
This presentation gave insights from a staple food fortification program focused
on training and capacity building of edible oil, milk and wheat flour industries in
over 18 states across India.
" We need to look for simple approaches
for building the capacity of frontline
workers to deliver nutrition services."
Deepika N Chaudhery, World Bank

29
CLOSING SESSION
From evidence to policy: Key insights from Delivering for Nutrition 2020
Setting the tone for the policy panel discussion in closing session, Dr Junaid Ahmad,
Country Director of the World Bank in India, noted that nutrition is now recognized as
central to national development and economic growth and India’s efforts to move this
agenda in the last few years have been exemplary. Implementation research can
help close gaps and move this agenda even faster.
Co-chairing the session, Sri Ram Mohan Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Women and
Child Development, acknowledged that India’s dynamic journey to find solutions for
addressing malnutrition could benefit from research-based recommendations from
nutrition experts.
Talking about research priorities, Dr. G S Toteja from the Indian Council of Medical
Research, highlighted the need for locally relevant research to strengthen the
nutrition efforts of states and districts in India.
Responding to a question about what the state governments’ agenda for research
community could be, Ms. Anu Garg, Principal Secretary, Women & Child
Development, Odisha, called for a prioritized implementation research agenda to
help strengthen POSHAN Abhiyaan’s impact. “We need research to help us
understand the specific questions that we policymakers have about program impact
and implementation bottlenecks”, she said.
KEY MESSAGE: Closing research gaps and improving the use of research in programs
Areas of nutrition implementation research that need more attention in India include fortification,
nutrition behaviors in the first 1000 days, quality of nutrition interventions and services, and
convergence to reach 1000-day households. In addition, approaches to strengthen research and
policy linkages, including stronger linkages between state governments and local researchers, as
well as engagement processes that improve research integration into programs, are also needed.

30
Sri. R. Prasanna, Principal Secretary, Women & Child Development, Chhattisgarh,
noted that state governments also needed locally grounded networks of researchers
to support their knowledge needs.
Sharing about NITI Aayog’s efforts for shaping some of the nutrition actions in India,
Dr Neena Bhatia Kaul from NITI Aayog, mentioned that they bring in partners to
address issues of undernutrition and underdevelopment in aspirational districts. They
also look at ways of using technology and data for strategically improving
performance of programs.
Dr. Chandrakant Pandav, a member of the National Technical Board on Nutrition,
applauded the coming together of researchers at this conference to contribute their
knowledge to strengthen POSHAN Abhiyaan, India’s national nutrition mission.
Dr, Arjan de Wagt, chief of nutrition, UNICEF India, emphasized that the nutrition
community in India should continue rallying its efforts to support POSHAN
Abhiyaan and ensure that the programs and policies stay focused on delivering
nutrition, even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Purnima Menon, from IFPRI, presented a summary of the conference and
emphasized on the need to keep working together to create stronger research and
program community linkages and to identify research funding mechanisms for this
important agenda.
"We need research to help us understand
the specific questions that we
policymakers have about program impact
and implementation bottlenecks." Anu
Garg, Principal Secretary, Women &
Child Development, Odisha

31
SOCIAL HANGOUTS & VIRTUAL AWARDS
SOCIAL HANGOUTS
• Dance - hosted by Revati Khattar
• Nutrition Quiz – hosted by Sumati Bajaj and Sattvika Ashok, IFPRI
• Zumba - hosted by Ravi Rastogi, Moving Souls
VIRTUAL AWARDS
Top ranked research submission
• Soumya Pancholi, Chief Ministers' Good Governance Fellowship,
Government of Haryana and Ashoka University, "Social Identity,
Recognition and Redistribution in Health Service Delivery: A Case of
Anganwadi Services Scheme in Ajmer District, Rajasthan"
Top ranked implementation submission
• Vishal Shastri, Alive & Thrive, "Strategic use of program data as system
strengthening measure to improve the implementation of Maternal
Nutrition Interventions through ANC platform in Uttar Pradesh, India"
Organization with highest number of accepted abstracts
• Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action (SNEHA), Mumbai
Nutrition quiz winner
• Sofia Saggu
Most enthusiastic social hangout participants for dance and Zumba
• Neha Santwani
• Najma Akhtar
• Rajendra

32
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Supporting nutrition behaviors in the first 1000 days
1. Formative study on identifying barriers and enablers of IYCF practices in
Rajasthan (Soma Biswas, IPE Global)
2. Disparity in knowledge, attitude and practice among mothers of children under 3
years about early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding and
continued breastfeeding in Alwar district, Rajasthan, India (Harish Chand, WVI)
3. Framework for enhancing service delivery in maternal and child nutrition
programme in tribal Maharashtra: An inter-state comparative study of scheme
implementation model (Suveena Doddalingannavar, IITB UNICEF)
4. Missed opportunity of feeding minimally diverse data to babies aged 6-11 months
in rural Bihar – demystifying the black hole (Rakesh Giri, CARE India)
5. Saving new-born lives by ensuring universal access to human milk through
Project SNEHI – an implementation experience (Jayendra Kasar, CHRI; Ruchika
Chugh Sachdeva, PATH)
6. Relation between optimal IYCF knowledge and its communication during
counselling by Accredited Social Health Activists (Sahiba Kohli, Lady Irwin
College, University of Delhi)
7. What prevents early initiation of breast feeding – A cross sectional study from a
public hospital in Gujarat (Vanisha Nambiar, The Maharaja Sayajirao University
of Baroda)
A total of 56 poster presentations were programmed under 12 selected themes. Each poster
was accompanied with a 90-sec audio recording by the presenter and selected posters were
combined as a short video under the relevant themes. Access these poster videos by clicking on
the theme headings given below, or view them on POSHAN website here: https://bit.ly/3iv1kIs

33
8. Implementation of SBCC to improve dietary diversity of pregnant/lactating women
and children in tribal area of Odisha, India (Rajashree Purohit, CRS)
9. Improving IYCF practices with special focus on complementary foods and feeding
(Swapan Bikash Saha, Child in Need Institute)
10. Dietary analysis of early postpartum women during the summer rainy season in
Belgaum, Karnataka, India (Zeyuan Wang, University of Michigan)
Bringing it together for good nutrition: What will convergence take?
1. Food-insecure rural communities have reduced malnutrition through a
multisector, rights-based community-driven approach (Sweta Banerjee,
Welthungerhilfe)
2. Functionality of anganwadi centres in Madhepura District, Bihar (Lisa Bogler,
University of Goettingen, Germany)
3. Adopt an anganwadi initiative (Deepak Ram, Tata Trusts)
Systems strengthening: Human resources, infrastructure, and financing
1. Affordable innovative community-based strategies to improve attendance in
anganwadi centers for children 3-6 years in selected rural areas in Bharuch
district of Gujarat, India (Archana Joshi, Deepak Foundation)
2. Understanding the frontline bureaucrat: Role and challenges of the Lady
Supervisor (Ruchi Junnarkar, Ritwik Shukla, Accountability Initiative, Centre for
Policy Research)
3. Implementation of Integrated Nutrition Program in Andhra Pradesh (Sandesh
Kotte, Tata Trusts)
4. Development of a model for efficient delivery of healthcare, nutrition, and ECCE
by the state government through ANMs, ASHAs and AWWs (Shaileja Yadav,
University College of Medical Sciences, University of Delhi)
Scaling up interventions to tackle anemia
1. Mirror Tool – A self-assessment tool for primary diagnosis of anemia (Kunal
Bhardwaj, Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar)
2. Use of locally available food supplement for anemia prevention and mitigation
(Krati Jain, former SBP & The India Nutrition Initiative; Sanjeev Kumar Maurya,
Government of Uttar Pradesh)
3. “Test, Treat and Talk” (T-3) anemia camp: An innovative model to expedite
anemia control in India (Ritika Khandelwal, CCM All India institute of Medical
Sciences)
4. Reducing anemia among adolescent girls through BCC (Smita Maniar, Deepak
Foundation)
5. From research to policy to program: Diagnostic accuracy of point of care testing
hemoglobinometers for estimation of anemia (Kashish Vohra, National Centre of
Excellence and Advanced Research on Anemia Control)
What we eat: How different aspects of food systems come together
1. How to design a complex behaviour change intervention: Experiences from a
nutrition-sensitive agriculture trial in rural India (Emily Fivian, London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)

34
2. Dietary energy and cost contribution of ultra-processed foods in the diets of
adolescent urban slum dwellers of Delhi (Shweta Kampani, Dept. of Food and
Nutrition, Lady Irwin College)
3. Market-based approach to assessing availability, affordability, and marketing of
foods in the national capital region of India (Shweta Khandelwal, PHFI)
4. Nutrition perceptions and dietary practices during pregnancy and lactation among
disadvantaged groups in Andhra Pradesh (Sandesh Kotte, Tata Trusts)
5. Assessing minimum adequate diet in young children (6-23 months) and
promoting nutri-kitchen garden to improve dietary diversity in the aspirational
districts of Gujarat (Halak Mehta, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda)
6. Factors affecting nutritional status of farm families: A case study from Nalanda &
Samastipur districts of Bihar (Bhoopesh Punera, ICAR - Indian Agricultural
Research Institute)
7. Nutrition garden: Succor the tribal families during COVID-19 (Ankita Sharma,
Adani Foundation)
8. Building multisectoral partnerships to scale-up staple food fortification in India
(Shakun Sharma, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition)
9. Improving nutritional outcomes through rice fortification under PDS in India
(Vedeika Shekhar, NITI Aayog)
10. Ensuring food security through redressal of grievances in two districts of
Jharkhand (Jagjeet Singh, Piramal Foundation)
Systems strengthening: What role can technology play?
1. Use of information technology in supportive supervision of frontline workers and
monitoring of infant and young child feeding program (Tarique Hasan, Nutrition
International)
Severe wasting in India: Technical and programmatic insights
1. Behaviour change strategies to improve utilization of services for severely
malnourished children through ICDS scheme in selected villages of Vadodara
district in Gujarat (Archana Joshi, Deepak Foundation)
2. Sneh shivir- A way forward for supplementary feeding (Sheetal Patel, Adani
Foundation)
3. Improving nutritional status of below 5-year old children using positive deviance
approach in rural Vadodara (Chitrarpita Saha, The Maharaja Sayajirao University
of Baroda)
4. Study of case finding, diagnosis & treatment of TB in children with moderate and
severe acute malnutrition utilizing ready to use therapeutic food (Rama Krishna
Sanjeev, Rural Medical College, Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences)
Women together: Consolidating insights from women's group programs
for nutrition
1. Early learning program to improve maternal, infant and young child feeding
practices in the 1st 1000 days of life, through women’s collective platforms
(Appolenarius Purty, Bihar rural livelihood promotion society - JEEViKA)
Systems strengthening: Using data to improve programs
1. Enhancing Survey Questions on Maternal and Child Nutrition Intervention
Coverage through Cognitive Interviewing in India (Sattvika Ashok, International
Food Policy Research Institute)

35
2. Use of situational vignettes to assess the competence of frontline health workers
in nutrition counseling programs (Sumati Bajaj, International Food Policy
Research Institute)
Systems strengthening: Building technical and operational capacities
1. Training on ‘First 1000 days – maternal & child nutrition’: Evidence-based skill
building to prevent acute and chronic malnutrition in children (Deepali Fargade,
Shrimati Malati Dahanukar Trust)
2. Improving IYCF practices in Sitamarhi and Sheikhpura districts of Bihar through
system-based actions (Taruna Juneja Gandhi, Mamta Health Institute for Mother
and Child)
3. Cross-sectional study on knowledge and practices of nursing staff related to
MIYCN during antenatal, postnatal and Paediatric OPD and immunization
services at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Jharkhand, India (Manisha
Kujur, Asha Kiran, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, Jharkhand)
4. Centre of Excellence and Anemia Mukt Bharat: Experiences and the way forward
(Gomathi Ramaswamy, National Centre of Excellence and Advanced Research
on Anemia Control)
5. Capacity building of PRI members on POSHAN Abhiyaan - comparison between
trained vs non trained districts (Heena Shaikh, Piramal Foundation)
6. Improving early initiation of breastfeeding in uncomplicated C-section deliveries
using point of care quality improvement (POCQI) approach (Praveen Kumar
Sharma, FHI360 Alive & Thrive)
7. The effectiveness of training and service delivery support on motivation of
frontline workers: Insights from NGO-ICDS partnership in implementing child
health and nutrition program in urban informal settlements of Mumbai, India
(Apurva Tiwari, Society of Nutrition Education and Health Actions: Society for
Nutrition, Education and Health Action, Mumbai)
8. NEEV- Ensuring healthy start through 1000 days care (Rekha Purnima Xalxo,
World Vision India)
An urbanizing world: Implications for nutrition programs
1. Food security and rising double malnutrition burden in urban poor settings in
India (Richa Malik, Institute of Home Economics)
2. Does mid-day meal scheme improve student achievement (Mahima Soni,
Meghnad Desai Academy of Economics)
Child growth and development
1. Study on relationship between nutritional status and motor development among
the children of age 6-30 months using BDSTI tool at Dadri sub-district, Uttar
Pradesh (Kunal Bhardwaj, Ambuja Cement Foundation)
2. Synergy of childhood obesity and diet in peri-urban school-going children: an
exploratory study (Aheibam Sharmila Devi, NIMS, ICMR)
3. The Impact of Dairy Intake on Anthropometric Failures of Children consuming
Vegetarian Diets (6-24 months) and fulfilling Minimum Dietary Diversity in India
(Sakshi Pandey, IITB - UNICEF India)
4. Growth patterns of children under 5 in India with special reference to stunting
(Diksha Rani, IIPS)

36
5. Nutrition and cognitive ability of school going children (7-9 yrs) and impact study
of ICT-based nutrition education on their dietary patterns (Shobika S, Rathnavel
Subramaniam college of arts and science, Sulur, Coimbatore)
6. Reversal of stunting, wasting and underweight in urban slums of Mumbai:
Implementation experience of nutrition delivery by strict growth monitoring and
caregiver engagement (Lahari Yaddanapudi, CTARA, Indian Institute of
Technology, Mumbai)

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