This paper examines the dynamics of nutritional status of children in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India in the years of 2002, 2006 and 2009 based on a sample of a cohort of 2000 children born in the year 2001-02. It observes whether a child who was malnourished (in terms of stunting, wasting and underweight) during early childhood (infancy) switches to a healthy status (catches-up) as he grows up, or whether a child who was not malnourished during early childhood grows up to be a malnourished (falters).

The study examines the role of the largest public works program in the world-the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) - in buffering the negative effects of early childhood exposure to rainfall shocks on long-term health outcomes. Exploiting the spatial and temporal variation in NREGS coverage, the study estimates the extent to which nutritional shocks in early childhood can be offset by access to the policy.