ABSTRACT
The study and analysis of public policy have become an integral part of academia for gaining better understanding regarding how public good can become the foundation, objective and outcome of governance. In India's contemporary and complex socio-economic transition, the gap in addressing undernutrition lies not in lack of a policy, but in the intent of translating its provisions into programmes backed by budgets. Even though the National Nutrition Policy (NNP) has comprehensively covered the structural causes of undernutrition and micronutrient deficiency in India, and made recommendations to address them, several critical recommendations remain unattended. Prior to the NNP, the development of India's policy regarding undernutrition can be gleaned from the Five Year Plans. All Plans subsequent to the fifth Five Year Plan have treated Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), originally meant to be an integrated child development programme, as a programme to combat undernutrition in India.
