Rajasthan’s Cash Plus Initiative

Rajasthan has successfully piloted and expanded a Cash Plus model that integrates conditional cash transfers (via PMMVY extension) with Social & Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) across five tribal districts. This model aims to improve maternal and child nutrition and serve as a blueprint to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Converging Cash Transfers with Behaviour Change for Nutrition and Gender Equity

Rationale & SDG Alignment

• Nutrition Crisis Focus: India carries nearly one-third of global undernourished children; 18% low birth weight rate; one-fifth of children under five are wasted
• Global SDG Relevance: Undernutrition among mothers and infants negatively impacts SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger), 3 (Good Health), and 5 (Gender Equality).
• Evidence Base: Global studies show that cash + SBCC yields stronger outcomes than standalone interventions.

Implementation Framework

• Expanded Eligibility: Rajasthan’s model includes second-time pregnant women, supplementing PMMVY’s first-child focus
• Conditional Cash Component: Delivered through a unified registry and auto-enrolment, with disbursement tied to compliance during pregnancy and infancy
• SBCC Strategy: Multi-channel approach including interpersonal counselling, community mobilisation, mass media, digital messaging, and frontline worker job aids

Target Districts & Outreach

• Pilot Districts: Baran, Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, Udaipur – all tribal and nutrition-vulnerable areas
• Coverage & Scale: Cash transfers reached ~200,000 second-time pregnant women; exposure to ?4 SBCC platforms increased from 50% (2021) to over 90% (2024)
• State-Wide Expansion: Cash Plus has been scaled to all districts, serving as a viability template

Outcomes & Impact

• Improved Behavioural Metrics:
  • Dietary diversity and weight gain during pregnancy
  • Higher uptake of ANC, immunisation, and institutional delivery
• Nutrition Outcomes: Early breastfeeding saw a 49% increase; dietary diversity and counselling receptiveness both rose by ~50% .
• Affordability Gains: 80% of women reported better access to nutritious food attributable to increased income and awareness .

Challenges:

• Data integrity issues (maternal mortality under-reporting)
• Geographic inequities impacting tribal areas
• Overburdened community workers and training deficiencies

Recommended Measures:

• Strengthen digitised maternal-health records and mortality tracking
• Integrate Cash Plus with POSHAN Abhiyaan, JSY, ICDS, RMNCH+A
• Invest in SBCC capacity-building for Anganwadi and ASHA workers
• Encourage household and male involvement via targeted campaigns
• Systematic monitoring and third-party evaluations
• Replicate the model in other tribal/backward regions and low-income states