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With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

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researcher spotlight

Samuel Benin

Samuel Benin is the Acting Director for Africa in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit. He conducts research on national strategies and public investment for accelerating food systems transformation in Africa and provides analytical support to the African Union’s CAADP Biennial Review.

Where we work

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Where we work

IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 80 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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experts

Nutrition, Diets, and Health

Soumyajit Ray

Senior Research Analyst

Bio

Soumyajit Ray is a Senior Research Analyst in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit. He is a quantitative researcher with research interests in political economy, public finance, health economics, and econometrics. Prior to joining IFPRI, Soumyajit worked as a researcher with various governmental agencies such as NITI Aayog, the Reserve Bank of India, and the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. He has also worked in developmental consultancy with Oxford Policy Management and the Clinton Health Access Initiative. He holds an MA in Economics from the University of Hyderabad and a BTech in Computer Science from UCE Burla.

Nutrition, Diets, and Health

Publications

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Working Paper

Claim-making under India’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA): Barriers and opportunities for women’s voice and agency over asset selection

2024Kosec, Katrina; Kyle, Jordan; Narayanan, Sudha; Raghunathan, Kalyani; Ray, Soumyajit
Details

Claim-making under India’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA): Barriers and opportunities for women’s voice and agency over asset selection

This paper examines the dynamics of women’s claim-making within the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme in India, focusing on their participation in selecting durable assets for climate resilience. Despite legal entitlements and protections for women within the program, gender disparities persist in claiming public resources. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach including surveys and qualitative interviews, the study uncovers various pathways to women’s claim-making, influenced by factors such as gender norms around mobility and women’s voice and agency, internal barriers and constraints including comfort in public speaking, and knowledge of the program and its various procedures for selecting assets. While challenges to women’s effective participation remain, findings from our analysis suggest potential for interventions to reduce gender gaps and enhance inclusivity in planning processes. Moreover, the study underscores the importance of recognizing diverse claim-making pathways to promote inclusion effectively within the program.

Year published

2024

Authors

Kosec, Katrina; Kyle, Jordan; Narayanan, Sudha; Raghunathan, Kalyani; Ray, Soumyajit

Citation

Kosec, Katrina; Kyle, Jordan; Narayanan, Sudha; Raghunathan, Kalyani; and Ray, Soumyajit. 2024. Claim-making under India’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA): Barriers and opportunities for women’s voice and agency over asset selection. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2247. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Climate Resilience; Gender Equality; Infrastructure; Women’s Empowerment; Employment; Women’s Participation; Gender Norms; Governance

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

Gender Equality

Record type

Working Paper

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Brief

Feeding India’s babies: Insights on trends and patterns from the National Family Health Surveys, 2015-16 to 2019-21

2023Ray, Soumyajit; Ashok, Sattvika; Avula, Rasmi; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Hemalatha, R.; Singh, S. K.; Chamois, Sylvie; Menon, Purnima
Details

Feeding India’s babies: Insights on trends and patterns from the National Family Health Surveys, 2015-16 to 2019-21

Early life nutrition sets the stage for the health, nutrition, and development of young children. Optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices begin with timely initiation of breastfeeding, followed by exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding. This Data Note provides an overview of trends and patterns in IYCF practices in India at the national-, state-, and district levels based on the 2015-16 and 2019-21 National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) data. IYCF indicators were created following World Health Organization and UNICEF’s 2021 guidelines.

Year published

2023

Authors

Ray, Soumyajit; Ashok, Sattvika; Avula, Rasmi; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Hemalatha, R.; Singh, S. K.; Chamois, Sylvie; Menon, Purnima

Citation

Ray, Soumyajit; Ashok, Sattvika; Avula, Rasmi; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Hemalatha, R.; Singh, S. K.; Chamois, Sylvie; and Menon, Purnima. 2023. Feeding India’s babies: Insights on trends and patterns from the National Family Health Surveys, 2015-16 to 2019-21. POSHAN Data Note 96. New Delhi, India: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136838

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Southern Asia; Asia; Child Development; Surveys; Health; Nutrition; Infant Feeding; Breastfeeding

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136838 Source record

Project

Agriculture for Nutrition and Health

Record type

Brief

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Journal Article

Under-reporting of income by wealthy Indians

2023Singh, Ram; Ray, Soumyajit
Details

Under-reporting of income by wealthy Indians

Year published

2023

Authors

Singh, Ram; Ray, Soumyajit

Citation

Singh, Ram; and Ray, Soumyajit. 2023. Under-reporting of income by wealthy Indians. Economic and Political Weekly 58(20). https://www.epw.in/journal/2023/20/commentary/under-reporting-income-wealthy-indians.html

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Southern Asia; Asia; Income; Taxes; Households; Income Tax; Capital Taxation

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Events

From Research to Impact: Towards just and Resilient Agri-food Systems
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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October 9 to 12, 2023

From Research to Impact: Towards just and Resilient Agri-food Systems

Conference: October 09, 2023 – 9:00 AM to October 12, 2023 – 6:00 PM IST. IFPRI is participating in the 2023 annual CGIAR gender research conference will take place in New Delhi, India.