Human Development and Malnutrition: The Case of India

Malnutrition, a rising global health concern and a public health priority, currently affects 155 million children from reaching their complete development potential. The human development approach recognises the attainment in three dimensions; a decent standard of living, a long healthy life, and knowledge as central to achieving human progress. The Indian case study in this thesis is an attempt to establish a connection between malnutrition and human development. Secondary data sourced from the Indian Human Development Survey has been used to determine the extent to which socio-economic variables affect this relationship. Primary data has been collected and used from a cluster randomised trial that was designed towards a possible fortified-food based intervention for Anganwadi (pre-school) attending children below 6 years.