Maternal and Child Health Benefits of the Mamata Conditional Cash Transfer Program in Odisha, India

Conditional cash transfers (CCTs) are demand-side interventions that link cash receipt to fulfilment of health-promoting conditions such as regular health check-ups and investment in human capital. In 2011, the Indian state of Odisha, implemented a statewide CCT program—the Mamata Scheme—towards improving maternal/child health outcomes and promoting health-seeking behavior. Mamata targets pregnant and lactating women aged ≥19 y, and provides a sizable financial incentive relative to household income levels. We aimed to longitudinally examine whether, and to what extent, initiation of the Mamata scheme corresponded with changes in health and nutrition outcomes in Odisha, relative to comparison states in India. Outcomes included maternal health service utilization [antenatal care (ANC), iron–folic acid supplementation, breastfeeding counseling, full child immunization, tetanus vaccination, vitamin A supplementation] and nutrition [anemia during pregnancy and stunting, anemia in children