Abstract In India, child undernutrition happens very early in life; 30 per cent of Indian infants younger than six months old are underweight and 58 per cent of children in the age group 18–23 months old are stunted; moreover, 56 per cent of severe wasting in India happens before children are two years old. Recognising the centrality of the first two years of life to respond to India’s nutrition challenge, the Coalition for Sustainable Nutrition Security in India called on an Expert Task Force on Infant and Young Child Nutrition to identify the ten evidence-based, high impact, cost-effective interventions with the greatest potential to reduce rates of undernutrition in infants and young children (0–23 months old) in India. These ten Essential Interventions are the evidence base for a broad-base Leadership Agenda for Action to Reduce Undernutrition in Infants and Young Children in India.