With the twin objectives of improving health and education of the poor children, India has embark... more With the twin objectives of improving health and education of the poor children, India has embarked upon an ambitious scheme of providing mid day meals (MDM) in the government and government-assisted primary schools. The administrative and logistical responsibilities of this scheme are enormous, and, therefore, offering food stamps or income transfer to targeted recipients is considered as an alternative. We show that the alternative delivery mechanism is not feasible in the Indian context, for it may lead to adverse consumption choices by the heads of the targeted households. We also test whether or not the meals offered through MDM scheme provide sufficient nutrition, food safety, and convenience and variety to the targeted children. Laboratory results show that nutritional delivery through the meals is low in comparison to the daily requirements in general, and, much lower in nutrients such as protein, fat, iron, and iodine in relation to the meal quantity in particular. Moreover, tests on food grains procured for the scheme showed presence of uric acid and aflatoxin. The delivery of MDM scheme may be improved by partnering with private entities and NGOs and by including chikki, sukhdi, fortified nutrition bar, and fruit in the weekly menu. This will not only complement nutritional intake, but offer safety and variety, and, by reducing the distribution time, may offer more contact time between students and teachers for study purpose.
For many decades, the only branded footwear Indians knew was Bata. After years of economic libera... more For many decades, the only branded footwear Indians knew was Bata. After years of economic liberalization; however, one finds many local, national, and international firms jostling for customer attention by producing various types of branded footwear. In fact, India has now emerged as the second largest producer of footwear in the world. The Indian footwear market can be described today as a stylized case of a monopolistically competitive market. In this study, we focus our attention on men's formal shoes which are differentiated by variations in many attributes such as heel, toes, colour, surface, laces, buckles and brands. Invoking hedonic price analysis and bid and offer curves of the customers and firms respectively, shoe prices are viewed as the sum total of the valuation of each of these attributes. The relative valuation is estimated by regressing market prices of shoes on its binary variable attributes. Analysis shows that shoes made of leather, shiny surface, buckles, laces, and brands carry a premium; and, differentiation based on colour, pointed toes, high heels, and texture is not important. In a highly competitive market, such data driven studies can provide pointers to firms in altering existing shoe models and successfully launching newer ones.
Pulses have been an important traditional food crop of India. India is the largest producer and c... more Pulses have been an important traditional food crop of India. India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses. However, pulse acreage and yield has not kept pace with the growing demand in India. As a result, India is also the single largest importer of pulses today. While Green Revolution in India focused on cereal crops, pulses remained an orphaned and neglected crop. However, from the triple perspective of economy, environmental sustainability, and provision of balanced nutrition; pulses have now been recognized as the future of food. India can substantially increase her production and yield in pulses with a strategic emphasis on research in public and private sector, expanding irrigation infrastructure, provision of MSP to pulses, assured procurement by government for PDS/MDMS, facilitation of mini dal mills and storage at village level, and allowing futures markets to function. Price stability for consumers can also be attained by reduction in middlemen margins through modern warehousing, FDI in wholesale and retail trade, introducing competition to APMC markets, and substantial reduction in import tariffs on substitute products such as chicken.
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Papers by Satish Deodhar