Programme combining cash transfers with counselling associated with 7.4 percentage-point drop in low birthweight among 90,000+ newborns from tribal communities in southern RajasthanJAIPUR, India , July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A Rajasthan state government-run maternal nutrition programme that paired conditional cash transfers with nutrition counselling and community outreach was associated with meaningfully better birth outcomes for mothers and newborns, according to a large-scale study published today in Nature Health, part of the Nature Portfolio, published by Springer Nature.The evaluation analysed routine health records of 90,732 newborns and 60,899 mothers across four predominantly tribal districts of southern Rajasthan, where maternal undernutrition and limited access to health services remain persistent challenges. Low birthweight affects roughly one in five babies born in India, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), and is linked to higher risks of infection, stunting and poor long-term health. Rajasthan's tribal belt has historically reported some of the state's weakest maternal nutrition indicators, making the findings especially significant for policymakers designing similar schemes elsewhere in the country.What the study foundRajasthan's 'Cash Plus' programme targeted women in their second pregnancy between January 2021 and August 2024, combining conditional cash transfers with individual and family counselling, community engagement, and locally designed media campaigns carrying simple health messages.Compared with the period before the programme, it was associated with: