Dr. Rakesh Sarwal

Dr. Rakesh Sarwal

MBBS, MPH, DrPH (Johns Hopkins), Therapeutic Yoga Consultant

Professor, Community Medicine, Head, Integrated Health Clinic, ESIC Medical College & Hospital, Faridabad, India

Expertise

  • Lifestyle Medicine, Nutrition, Yoga
  • Health Systems for UHC
  • Public Health Policy

Publications

You can also find my articles on my Google Scholar profile.

Learning to Learn: A Framework for Self-Directed Knowledge Management in Medical and Public Health Education

Published in Zenodo, 2026

In the current knowledge economy, characterized by systemic information overload, the ability to gather, process, and apply information efficiently is critical. However, there is a significant gap in guidance on how to transform raw data into actionable knowledge. Students, particularly in high-pressure fields, are often overwhelmed by the volume of facts and struggle to balance the demands of learning and reproduction. This presentation provides a comprehensive pedagogical framework for transit

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2026). Learning to Learn: A Framework for Self-Directed Knowledge Management in Medical and Public Health Education. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.22107119
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From Risk to Resilience: Healthy People in Healthy Communities through Lifestyle

Published in Zenodo, 2026

Drawing on the commonality between individual and population health — the risks each faces and the choices needed to mitigate them — I spoke about the unrealized potential in advancing health. Underscoring the precious and invaluable nature of health, and explaining how it is measured and created, I shared my perspective on the need to move from risk to resilience by applying the principles of Lifestyle Medicine at both individual and population levels. This presentation was delivered to a batch

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2026). From Risk to Resilience: Healthy People in Healthy Communities through Lifestyle. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.21472905
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Remission of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Achieved Through Combined Diet, Lifestyle Modification, and Yoga: A Case Report

Published in MDPI AG, 2026

This report describes a 33-year-old male initially suspected of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) due to radiological findings, but finally diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) based on the Rome IV criteria, normal colonoscopy findings and inflammatory biomarkers. When symptomatic pharmacotherapy for pain, constipation and heartburn alone did not bring lasting relief, he was referred for lifestyle therapy. Dietary, lifestyle advice, and physical activity are mainstay in the current guide

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2026). Remission of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Achieved Through Combined Diet, Lifestyle Modification, and Yoga: A Case Report. MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202603.0183.v1
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Integrated Health Clinic at ESIC Medical College, Faridabad

Published in Zenodo, 2026

I share the motivation and experience of running a lifestyle clinic for patients of chronic diseases at ESIC. There is an increasing evidence of the effectiveness of age old practices and recommendations of living in harmony with nature, which we are experiencing in the transformation that our NCD patients are undergoing after following the 21-point regime. Our practice builds on the Health Building guideline using traffic light approach, which was recently published in an indexed journal. Rakes

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2026). Integrated Health Clinic at ESIC Medical College, Faridabad. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.18829171
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Women, Health and Economics in India

Published in Zenodo, 2025

Women’s health, educational status is closely linked to their economic and political empowerment. India attempts to become a developed nation by 2047, for which it needs to bridge the gender gap in development, which is among the highest in the world. The ppt is an analysis of the issue, and provides some food for thought on way forward.

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2025). Women, Health and Economics in India. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.15833714
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Scaling up Food Processing in India by Tapping Houesholds’ Potential

Published in Qeios Ltd, 2025

Despite being one of the world’s largest producers of fresh food and a dedicated ministry, the processing level is low in India. While 70% of employment remains in informal, unregistered enterprises, government schemes encourage only formal enterprises. Informal enterprises remain because of the stringent registration procedures. We cite the example of the US Cottage License to suggest the need for a liberal household food processing regime in India. We call for the industry to come forward to m

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2025). Scaling up Food Processing in India by Tapping Houesholds’ Potential. Qeios Ltd. https://doi.org/10.32388/P9GX5K
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Health Outcomes in India, Israel & Palestine

Published in Center for Open Science, 2023

The recent armed conflict between Israel and Palestine has drawn focus on the human impact of war, especially on the children and women. It would be of interest to recap the level of health attainments of the countries in conflict with those of India. These graphs compare the health outcomes in terms of life expectancy, child and maternal mortality, health spending and cause of death in these countries. While Israel is a High Income country, Palestine has features of a Least Developed Countries,

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2023). Health Outcomes in India, Israel & Palestine. Center for Open Science. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/t7huk
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The Impact of Household’s Better Access to Water on Children’s Health and Survival in Rural Rajasthan, India

Published in Center for Open Science, 2023

Malnutrition and lack of access to water and sanitation are responsible for one third of disability Adjusted Life Years lost in developing countries, and 62% of under-five mortality worldwide. Both factors are preventable, but persist as risks largely among the poor, 75% of whom live in rural area and depend on agriculture for livelihood. In the context of water and sanitation, Shuval suggests that a segmental approach for addressing the numerous handicaps that the poor face are unlikely to be s

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2023). The Impact of Household’s Better Access to Water on Children’s Health and Survival in Rural Rajasthan, India. Center for Open Science. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/s58cj
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PARLIAMENTARY DISCOURSE ON NUTRITION: What motivates law makers to ask questions

Published in Center for Open Science, 2023

The review of two decades of parliamentary questions on nutrition and associated topics revealed information on the topics of interest, themes covered, nature of discourse and what influenced the composition of questions. We found that a majority of the questions raised focused upon the national level implementation of key programmes such as the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme (MDMS), Public Distribution System (PDS), Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP), Raj

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2023). PARLIAMENTARY DISCOURSE ON NUTRITION: What motivates law makers to ask questions. Center for Open Science. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/xb4n3
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Catalogue of Crafts by Minority Artisans

Published in Center for Open Science, 2023

The National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC), a UnionGovt. Company set up under Section 8 of Companies Act 2013, is working to promoteeconomic development of backward sections amongst the Minority Communities, preferencebeing given to the occupational group and women.In order to provide the artisans with ongoing marketing platform, NMDFC has developed a catalogue of the products and contact details of the artisans assisted by it. The Crafts Catalogue encompasses finest &am

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2023). Catalogue of Crafts by Minority Artisans. Center for Open Science. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/vpfzd
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Take Home Ration-Good Practices Across the States/UTs

Published in [], 2022

POSHAN Abhiyaan, Government of India’s flagship programme, is a scheme under ICDS umbrella which converges with other programs and services delivering nutrition interventions during the first 1000-days period. One of its core interventions includes take-home rations, which aims to fill the calorie-protein-micronutrient gap among children and pregnant and lactating women in India. This THR report covers various improvisations adopted in the implementation of the THR value chain, from formulations

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2022). Take Home Ration-Good Practices Across the States/UTs. []. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/fhaqr
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Dietary diversity as a sustainable approach towards micronutrient deficiencies in India.

Published in The Indian journal of medical research, 2022

The silent epidemic of micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs) continues to be a major public health challenge in the developing world, including India. The prevalence of iron, iodine, zinc, vitamin A and folate deficiencies is alarmingly high worldwide. India is additionally facing a high prevalence of vitamin D and B12 deficiencies. To combat the hidden epidemic of MNDs, various governments around the world have mostly relied on supplementation or fortification-based interventions. India launched sa

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2022). Dietary diversity as a sustainable approach towards micronutrient deficiencies in India.. The Indian journal of medical research. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijmr.ijmr_3314_21
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Small area variations in low birth weight and small size of births in India

Published in Maternal & Child Nutrition, 2022

Abstract The states and districts are the primary focal points for policy formulation and programme intervention in India. The within‐districts variation of key health indicators is not well understood and consequently underemphasised. This study aims to partition geographic variation in low birthweight (LBW) and small birth size (SBS) in India and geovisualize the distribution of small area estimates. Applying a four‐level logistic regression model to the latest round of the National Family Hea

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2022). Small area variations in low birth weight and small size of births in India. Maternal & Child Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13369
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State Energy and Climate Index: Round-I

Published in Center for Open Science, 2022

The index has a preliminary set of 27 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) covering 6 parameters ‘DISCOM’s performance’, ‘access, affordability & reliability of energy’,‘clean energy initiatives’, ‘energy efficiency’, ‘environmental sustainability’ and ‘new initiatives’.

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2022). State Energy and Climate Index: Round-I. Center for Open Science. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/8ec6q
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Reducing childhood stunting in India: Insights from four subnational success cases

Published in Food Security, 2022

Abstract Global success case analyses have identified factors supporting reductions in stunting across countries; less is known about successes at the subnational levels. We studied four states in India, assessing contributors to reductions in stunting between 2006 and 2016. Using public datasets, literature review, policy analyses and stakeholder interviews, we interpreted changes in the context of policies, programs and enabling environment. Primary contributors to stunting reduction were impr

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2022). Reducing childhood stunting in India: Insights from four subnational success cases. Food Security. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-021-01252-x
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Small Area Variations in Dietary Diversity Among Children in India: A Multilevel Analysis of 6–23-Month-Old Children

Published in Frontiers in Nutrition, 2022

Dietary diversity is an important indicator of child malnutrition. However, little is known about the geographic variation of diet indicators across India, particularly within districts and across states. As such, the purpose of this paper was to elucidate the small area variations in diet indicators between clusters within districts of India. Overall, we found that clusters were the largest source of variation for children not eating grains, roots, and tubers, legumes and nuts, dairy, vitamin A

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2022). Small Area Variations in Dietary Diversity Among Children in India: A Multilevel Analysis of 6–23-Month-Old Children. Frontiers in Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.791509
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Analysis of Key Nutrition Indicators Based on National Family Health Survey, NFHS 4 (2015-16) and NFHS 5 (2019-2021)

Published in [], 2022

This analysis on key nutrition indicators from successive rounds of the NFHS (4 and 5) is based on all-India and State/UT level factsheet released by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). The analysis includes: 1. National level trends from NFHS-3 (2005-06), NFHS-4 (2015-16) and NFHS-5 (2019-21) data for 44 indicators including outcomes, service delivery and key determinants of nutrition. 2. State level trends of same indicators- number of states showing improvement / worsening (± 0.1 p

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2022). Analysis of Key Nutrition Indicators Based on National Family Health Survey, NFHS 4 (2015-16) and NFHS 5 (2019-2021). []. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/r9ybf
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White paper on Promoting Domestic Manufacturing of Medical Devices

Published in [], 2022

India’s medical device market is the fourth largest in India and one of the top 20 worldwide; however import dependence to the tunes of about 80 percent of overall sales is an impediment to achieve self-reliance vis-a-vis domestic manufacturing of medical devices and equipments. This high reliance on imports presents a grand opportunity to domestic manufacturers. An enabled ecosystem that promotes indigenous manufacturing of medical devices is crucial for the growth of the health care sector. Th

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2022). White paper on Promoting Domestic Manufacturing of Medical Devices. []. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/6s4ta
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Lessons from Covid-19: A Plan for Action in Journal of the Harvard Club of India

Published in [], 2021

The need for a National Public Health Agency in India is of crucial relevance today. Along with a responsive public health system, we need to focus on preventive healthcare and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. The country, as it marks its 75th year of Independence, must remember that it is essential to bring in structural change for effective public health governance. (Pages 59-67)

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2021). Lessons from Covid-19: A Plan for Action in Journal of the Harvard Club of India. []. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/rj2bm
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Energy Swaraj: Geospatial Energy Map of India Presents Immense Potential and Opportunities

Published in Center for Open Science, 2021

GIS Energy map has the potential to facilitate India’s achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 which is to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. It can thereby help build energy Swaraj, and a foundation for sustainable development in the country.

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2021). Energy Swaraj: Geospatial Energy Map of India Presents Immense Potential and Opportunities. Center for Open Science. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/n75hp
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Health Insurance for India’s Missing Middle

Published in NITI Aayog, 2021

Policy paper on increasing health insurance coverage for India’s missing middle population

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2021). Health Insurance for India's Missing Middle. NITI Aayog. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/s2x8r
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Best practices in the performance of District Hospitals in India

Published in NITI Aayog, 2021

NITI Aayog undertook this novel exercise on the assessment of the performance of District Hospitals across the country for the financial year 2017-18 in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, NABH and WHO Country Office for India. The assessment framework covers 10 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across the domains of Structure and Output. A total of 707 district hospitals across all States and Union Territories participated in the performance assessment. The framework c

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2021). Best practices in the performance of District Hospitals in India. NITI Aayog. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/y79bg
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Turning Around the Power Distribution Sector: Learnings and Best Practices from Reforms

Published in NITI Aayog, 2021

The distribution sector has been the Achilles’ heel of the Indian power sector, consistently making large losses, reflecting weaknesses in operations, infrastructure, and regulation. We will not be able to achieve a high-growth, low-carbon economy unless the distribution sector achieves profitability.Different states in India have followed different reform trajectories, and today, policy-makers can draw upon a wealth of accumulated experience. This report aims to document the best practices and

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2021). Turning Around the Power Distribution Sector: Learnings and Best Practices from Reforms. NITI Aayog. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/xd2he
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What the new govt can do to set the health system right

Published in Center for Open Science, 2021

Six health system building themes have been proposed for action by the government.

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2021). What the new govt can do to set the health system right. Center for Open Science. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/53yxg
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Coping and performing without stress

Published in Center for Open Science, 2021

Coping and performing without stress

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2021). Coping and performing without stress. Center for Open Science. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/e68hb
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Vision 2035 – Public Health Surviellacne in India. A White Paper

Published in NITI Aayog, 2021

NITI Aayog’s mandate is to provide strategic directions to the various sectors of the Indian economy. In line with this mandate, the Health Vertical released a set of four working papers compiled in a volume entitled ‘Health Systems for New India: Building Blocks – Potential Pathways to Reform’ during November 2019. “India’s Public Health Surveillance by 2035” is a continuation of the work on Health Systems Strengthening. It contributes by suggesting mainstreaming of surveillance by making indiv

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2021). Vision 2035 – Public Health Surviellacne in India. A White Paper. NITI Aayog. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/8bvaq
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MITIGATION AND MANAGEMENT OF COVID-19: PRACTICES FROM INDIA’S STATES & UNION TERRITORIES

Published in [], 2021

This compendium details information about various practices and initiativesimplemented by States, Districts and Cities in India for containing and managing theCOVID-19 outbreak. It is important to note that these initiatives are not being termedas ‘best practices’ by NITI Aayog as that would require a separate and comprehensiveevaluation exercise as well as longer term follow-up. Moreover, in a rapidly evolvingsituation, it can be challenging to consistently and fully correlate practices without

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2021). MITIGATION AND MANAGEMENT OF COVID-19: PRACTICES FROM INDIA’S STATES & UNION TERRITORIES. []. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/5uq6c
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Investment Opportunities in India’s Healthcare Sector

Published in NITI Aayog, 2021

India’s healthcare industry has been growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of around 22% since 2016. At this rate, it is expected to reach USD 372 Billion in 2022. Healthcare has become one of the largest sectors of the Indian economy, in terms of both revenue and employment. In 2015, the healthcare sector became the fifth largest employer, employing 4.7 Million people directly. As per estimates by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) healthcare can generate 2.7 Million additiona

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2021). Investment Opportunities in India's Healthcare Sector. NITI Aayog. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/rtup2
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Opinion of Health Care Providers on Birth Companions in Obstetrics Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital in North India

Published in openRxiv, 2021

ABSTRACT Background Despite impressive improvements in institutional births and a fall in maternal mortality, satisfaction of women with birthing experience in public health institutions is low (68%). Birth Companion is an important part of the Labour room Quality Improvement (LaQshya) programme introduced by the Government of India in 2017. Despite mandates, implementation of the concept has been unsatisfactory (9%), even though the importance of Birth Companion has increased due to enhanced ri

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2021). Opinion of Health Care Providers on Birth Companions in Obstetrics Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital in North India. openRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.24.21259462
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Study on the Not-for-Profit Hospital Model in India

Published in NITI Aayog, 2021

The “Not-for-Profit” Hospital Sector has the reputation of providing affordable and accessible healthcare for many years. This sector has done yeoman service over the years with some institutions from even before Independence. Although various institutions have been established for different purposes, this sector provides not only curative healthcare, but also preventive healthcare, and links healthcare with social reform, community engagement, and education. They utilize the resources and grant

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2021). Study on the Not-for-Profit Hospital Model in India. NITI Aayog. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/ba5vu
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ROADMAP FOR ETHANOL BLENDING IN INDIA 2020-25: Report of the Expert Committee

Published in NITI Aayog, 2021

Achieving energy security and the transitioning to a thriving low carbon economy is critical for a growing nation like India. Blending locally produced ethanol with petrol will help India strengthen its energy security, enable local enterprises and farmers to participate in the energy economy and reduce vehicular emissions. The Government of India notified the National Policy on Biofuels – 2018 (NPB–2018) on 4.06.2018 wherein, under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Program, an indicative target

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2021). ROADMAP FOR ETHANOL BLENDING IN INDIA 2020-25: Report of the Expert Committee. NITI Aayog. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/825mz
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Prioritizing Pregnant Women for COVID-19 Vaccination

Published in Center for Open Science, 2021

Even though evidence for safety and efficacy is emerging, most countries do not offer vaccination to pregnant women, despite they being at higher risk of complications from COVID-19. We did a web search on policies for COVID-19 vaccination of pregnant women in two sets of countries – those bearing a high burden of COVID-19 cases, and a second set with a high burden of maternal andunder five mortality globally. Of the top 20 COVID-19 affected countries, nine allow vaccination of pregnant women, o

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2021). Prioritizing Pregnant Women for COVID-19 Vaccination. Center for Open Science. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/5yxh7
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Precision mapping child undernutrition for nearly 600,000 inhabited census villages in India

Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2021

There are emerging opportunities to assess health indicators at truly small areas with increasing availability of data geocoded to micro geographic units and advanced modeling techniques. The utility of such fine-grained data can be fully leveraged if linked to local governance units that are accountable for implementation of programs and interventions. We used data from the 2011 Indian Census for village-level demographic and amenities features and the 2016 Indian Demographic and Health Survey

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2021). Precision mapping child undernutrition for nearly 600,000 inhabited census villages in India. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2025865118
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Efficacy of Pranayama in Preventing COVID-19 in Exposed Healthcare Professionals: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Published in Center for Open Science, 2021

Background: The global outbreak of COVID-19 has created a challenging situation, especially among the frontline Health Care Professionals (HCPs), who are routinely exposed and thus at a relatively higher risk of infection. A few studies have shown the practice of Pranayama, a component of Yoga, to be effective in improving immune function and reducing infection. However, no clinical trial on the efficacy of Pranayama in preventing COVID-19 has been conducted.Aim & Objective: This randomized

Recommended citation: Sarwal, R. (2021). Efficacy of Pranayama in Preventing COVID-19 in Exposed Healthcare Professionals: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Center for Open Science. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/c3qub
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