Strengthening Nutrition Delivery through Take-Home Rations

Take-Home Rations (THR) are an important component of India’s nutrition delivery system, providing supplementary nutrition to children, pregnant women and lactating mothers under POSHAN 2.0. With the adoption of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2023 and revised THR standards, states are navigating important decisions around production, procurement, quality, delivery models, financing and local implementation.

Telangana Foods Case Study Uttar Pradesh Case Study now

This resource page brings together resources from GAIN’s work on THR. The resources capture experiences from states including Telangana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, showcasing different approaches to THR production and delivery and the considerations associated with each.

THR delivery approaches

Different pathways for THR delivery

State experiences demonstrate three broad approaches to THR delivery:

Centralised

A state-funded production facility is responsible for procuring raw materials, producing and distributing THR across the state/UT.

Decentralised

THR production is organised through local agencies, including women’s self-help groups, with production closer to the communities being served.

Public-Private Partnership (PPP)

The state partners with a private-sector organisation for THR production and distribution.

These models offer different opportunities and require different institutional, operational, financial and governance arrangements.

The resources below bring together evidence and practical lessons on strengthening THR quality, adopting NFSA 2023-aligned standards, improving delivery systems, and understanding the choices and trade-offs associated with different implementation models.

Explore the resources to learn from state experiences and support efforts to build more effective, nutritious and sustainable THR systems across India.

New resource

What does it take to keep a nutrition delivery system working for decades?

Take Home Ration programmes are often discussed in terms of coverage and supply. But long-term delivery depends on more than getting food products out the door. It requires strong institutions, consistent quality systems, technical capacity, reliable operations and a model that can continue adapting as nutrition standards and programme needs evolve.

This case study explores how Telangana Foods has developed as a public nutrition delivery system over time, and what its experience can offer to other states and partners working to strengthen THR delivery.

Central question

What can other states learn from a model that has been built over more than five decades?

Full case study

Telangana Foods: A centralised THR model built over five decades

What you will learn

The full case study offers practical learning for teams interested in THR systems, public delivery models and nutrition-sensitive social protection.

How a state-owned nutrition delivery model has evolved and sustained operations over time.
Why institutional design, technical partnerships and quality systems matter for programme scale.
How centralised delivery models can support consistency while still needing to respond to beneficiary needs.
What other states and partners may consider when adapting lessons from a mature THR system.

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New resource

What does it take to make decentralised nutrition delivery work at scale?

In Uttar Pradesh, women’s self-help groups operate decentralised Take Home Ration production units closer to the communities they serve. The model links women-led micro-enterprises directly to the state’s supplementary nutrition supply chain.

This case study explores how Uttar Pradesh has built the partnerships, production systems, quality assurance processes and financing mechanisms needed to operate this model at scale, while strengthening women’s participation in nutrition delivery.

Central question What can other states learn from Uttar Pradesh’s experience of scaling community-based, women-led THR production?

Full case study

Uttar Pradesh: Decentralised, Women-Led Take Home Ration Delivery

What you will learn

The full case study offers practical learning for teams interested in decentralised THR systems, women-led production and nutrition delivery at scale.

How women’s self-help groups are embedded within the THR production and delivery system.
How institutional partnerships and production systems support decentralised delivery at scale.
How quality assurance, technical support and NFSA 2023-aligned standards are being integrated into the model.
What other states can learn about financing, governance and sustaining women-led THR enterprises.

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