In the Global Hunger Index of 2023, India holds the 111th position among 125 nations. The country has the highest child wasting rate, which is 18.7 percent. The index was released on October 12. India ranked 107th out of 121 countries in 2022.
About The Global Hunger Index
The Global Hunger Index is an annually released scholarly report, collaboratively issued by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe. Its purpose is to comprehensively gauge and monitor the levels of hunger on a global, regional, and country-specific scale. The primary goal of the GHI is to drive and inspire initiatives aimed at effectively addressing and reducing hunger on a global scale.
The Global Hunger Index score is calculated on four indicators – undernourishment, child wasting (the share of children under the age of five with low weight for their height), child stunting (children under the age of five with low height for their age) and child mortality (the mortality rate of children under the age of five).
Progress Against Hunger Worldwide
- The Global Hunger Index (GHI) for 2023 suggests that the worldwide efforts against hunger, which saw significant progress until 2015, have now largely plateaued.
- The Global Hunger Index (GHI) for the world in 2023 stands at 18.3, which indicates a moderate level of hunger. This score is slightly improved from the 2015 GHI score of 19.1.
- However, it’s important to note that since 2017, the world has seen an upward trend in the instance of undernourishment, one of the key indicators for calculating the GHI.
- The population of undernourished individuals has surged from 572 million to approximately 735 million, as per the index. The regions with the most severe hunger levels are South Asia and Africa South of the Sahara, both with a concerning GHI score of 27, signifying serious hunger conditions.
The Battle Against Hunger In India: A Progress Report
- India, with a Global Hunger Index-2023 score of 28.7, is presently grappling with a significant hunger issue.
- The country finds itself ranked below its neighbouring nations such as Pakistan (102nd), Bangladesh (81st), Nepal (69th), and Sri Lanka (60th) on this index.
- Excluding Afghanistan, Haiti in the Caribbean, and a dozen sub-Saharan African nations, no other countries rank lower than India.
- The report reveals that India has the highest global rate of child wasting, pegged at 18.7 per cent.
- Child wasting, an indicator of acute undernutrition, measures a child’s weight in relation to their height.
- The undernourishment rate in India is currently 16.6 per cent, and the under-five mortality rate is at 3.1 per cent.
- Furthermore, the report highlights the prevalent issues of anaemia in young Indian women. Specifically, among women aged between 15 and 24 years, anaemia’s prevalence is alarmingly high at 58.1 per cent.
India’s Response To The Hunger Index 2023
- The Indian government has rejected the Global Hunger Index ranking for the third consecutive year. It attributes India’s low ranking to a flawed method of measurement.
- The Ministry of Women and Child Development argues that the Index isn’t an accurate representation of hunger due to serious issues in its methodology.
- The Ministry points out that three of the four indicators used for calculating the Index are child health-related and do not represent the entire population.
- The Ministry further criticises the ‘Proportion of Undernourished population,’ the fourth and most vital indicator. This indicator is based on an opinion survey conducted with a small sample size of 3000, which the Ministry contends is inadequate.
- The government said that according to the ‘Poshan Tracker’, child wasting rates have remained consistently below 7.2% each month. This is a significant decrease compared to the 18.7% reported in the Global Hunger Index 2023.
- The Poshan Tracker app is a tool for real-time monitoring. The Ministry of Women and Child Development developed and uses this app to make critical policy decisions.
- The government emphasised its commitment to addressing malnutrition. It has prioritised several activities under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (also known as Mission Poshan 2.0).
- The government also noted that it has allocated about 1118 lakh tonnes of food grains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) over the past 28 months. This scheme has benefitted nearly 80 crore people.
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