LUCKNOW, June 28 -- Uttar Pradesh's take-home ration (THR) programme has received international recognition, with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announcing plans to establish a Centre of Excellence in the state to support research and capacity building in nutrition, food processing, and social inclusion, a government spokesman said here on Saturday. .

The announcement followed a high-level meeting in Rome, Italy, where chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh presented UP's THR model as an example of best practices in food and nutrition security. The initiative currently benefits nearly 70 lakh people and integrates women-led self-help groups into its supply chain, thereby also promoting rural livelihoods and gender inclusion, ac...