Protein is the only macronutrient with a formal daily requirement per kilogram of body weight. ICMR puts the average Indian adult requirement at about 0.83 g per kg per day — roughly 54 g for a 65 kg adult — and national surveys consistently find cereal-heavy Indian diets running below it.
A front-of-pack "HIGH PROTEIN" badge is a claim; the per-100 g protein number on the back is a measurement. Compare the number, not the font size.
Check what carries the protein: a protein bar with 20 g protein and 25 g sugar per 100 g is a sugar product with protein in it.
Dal, besan, peanuts and dairy are protein-dense at commodity prices — a useful mental benchmark when a packaged product charges a premium for less.
Protein earns a positive offset — but a capped one. Bonuses can offset at most a fixed fraction of the negative load, and stop entirely above a load ceiling, so protein cannot be sprayed onto a sugary product to launder its score. The methodology page shows the exact cap.