For people living in India, the fact that the people of our country are severely malnourished shouldn't come as a surprise. From children of manual labourers with inflated stomachs, to child beggars on the streets, access to proper nutrition is a serious public health concern in India. Supporting this phenomenon, India has ranked 111th out of 125 countries on the Global Hunger Index 2023. With this current ranking India has slipped by 4 spots, as it ranked 107th in last year's Hunger Index, and has the highest child-wasting rate at 18.7%.
What Is The Global Hunger Index?
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool that measures the level of hunger at global, regional, and national levels every year. It is conducted by the 'Concern Worldwide and Welt Hunger Hilfe,' non-government organisations from Ireland and Germany every year. As per the report, the high levels of hunger in India are at a serious level, with a score of 28.7 in the Global Hunger Index-2023.
The report showed how India has the highest hunger index out of all the South Asian countries. This is shocking, as impoverished and financially unstable countries like Pakistan (102th), Bangladesh (81st), Nepal (69th) and Sri Lanka (60th) have scored way better than India in the index.
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The report stated, 'India has the highest child wasting rate in the world, at 18.7%, reflecting acute undernutrition.' In simpler terms, child wasting refers to a child who is too thin for their height due to severe malnutrition. As per the GHI report, the rate of undernourishment in India stands at 16.6%, with the under-five mortality at 3.1%.
The report further indicated that one of the key indicators used in calculating the hunger index is undernourishment, which has been on the rise since 2017 in India. The number of undernourished people has climbed from 572 million to about 735 million in India, the index reported. The report also analysed the prevalence of anaemia in women aged between 15 and 24 years, which currently stands at 58.1% in India.
Malnourishment In India
The Indian government has rejected these findings, calling it an 'erroneous measure of hunger,' stating that the calculation 'suffers from serious methodological issues.'
Commenting on the findings of the GHI, the Union Ministry of Women And Child Development said, 'The Global Hunger Index continues to be a flawed measure of hunger, and it does not reflect India’s true position.'
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Citing the reasons why GHI is not credible, the ministry stated:
- Three out of the four indicators on which the index is calculated is not representative of the entire population as it relates only to the health of children.
- The fourth factor is the ‘Proportion of Undernourished (PoU) population,' which is based on a survey conducted among a small sample size of 3000.
- Counteracting these findings, the ministry cited the 'Poshan Tracker,' as per which the portion of child wasting lies below 7.2% month-on-month, as compared to 18.7% in the Global Hunger Index 2023.
However, the rising levels of poverty and malnourishment in India are not news. To tackle the same, the government is prioritising key activities to address malnutrition under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0). Additionally, the government has delayed that under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), 1118 lakh tonnes of food grains had been allocated under the scheme in 28 months for nearly 80 crore beneficiaries.
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