Do Shocks Experienced in the Mother’s Uterus have Adverse Effects on Child Health, and Can Welfare Schemes Ameliorate such Effects?-Evidence from Andhra Pradesh, India

Indian children are among the most malnourished children in the world. The situation becomes desperate if the child suffers shocks in the mother’s uterus. This study on the YLS data from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh provides evidence that uterus shocks experienced by the child have an adverse effect on her health. This study exploits an unique feature of the data set that allows distinction between different types of uterus shocks and reports that the adverse effect is the strongest in case of crop failure. Another distinguishing feature of this study is the comparison between the role of the Midday Meal Scheme (MDMS) and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) in mitigating the adverse effect of uterus shocks. MDMS and NREGS were introduced around the same time, 2006. The study was conducted on panel data of children who were aged 6-18 months in 2002, 4-5 ½ years in 2007 and 7-8 ½ years in 2009. While the effectiveness of MDMS in mitigating the adverse effects on child health weakened between 2007 and 2009, the reverse was the case for NREGS. Though not explicitly designed to protect and promote child health, unlike MDMS, NREGS was in 2009 playing a role that was more effective than MDMS in acting as a buffer against uterus shocks to the child. In contrast, MDMS was more gender sensitive than NREGS in protecting the girl child’s heath in case of uterus shocks. The study points to the need for both schemes and for greater coordination between the two in delivery and coverage, especially in rural areas that have experienced crop failures. At a time when the NREGS is being curtailed, the fact that it has been playing a role that it was originally not designed to do is a result of much significance.