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India Ranks 111th in Global Hunger Index

  • 13 Oct 2023

On 12th October, 2023, the Global Hunger Index was released. India's position has raised concerns as it ranks 111th out of 125 countries, marking a four-position drop compared to the previous year.

This decline reveals the nutritional challenges the country faces, with over 40% of its population unable to afford a healthy diet.

Key Points

  • Countries Ranking Lower: India's GHI ranking places it above only a handful of countries, including Timor-Leste, Mozambique, Afghanistan, Haiti, and several others, many of which have smaller economies than India.
  • GHI Severity Level: India is categorized within a group of 40 countries where the severity of global hunger is deemed "serious."
  • The GHI score for India stands at 28.7 on a 100-point scale, with higher scores indicating worse performance.
  • India's Performance on Four Parameters: According to the report, India has the highest rate of child "wasting" (low weight for height) globally at 18.7%, indicating acute undernutrition.
  • More than 35% of children in India are classified as stunted (low height for age), placing India in the "very high" risk category.
  • India's levels of undernourishment affect about 16.6% of the population, categorized as "medium" risk.
  • In terms of under-5 mortality, India is labelled a "low risk" country, with about 3.1% of children dying before the age of five.
  • Anaemia Prevalence: The report highlights a significant issue of anaemia among women aged 15-24 in India, with over 50% of women and adolescents in the country affected.

Global Hunger Index (GHI): Overview

  • The Global Hunger Index (GHI) serves as a comprehensive tool for the assessment and ongoing monitoring of hunger on global, regional, and national scales.

GHI Components: Four Key Indicators

  • GHI scores are derived from four core component indicators, providing a holistic view of hunger:
    • Undernourishment
    • Child stunting
    • Child wasting
    • Child mortality
  • Scoring Hunger Severity: The GHI score is calculated on a 100-point scale, with zero representing the best score, indicating an absence of hunger, and 100 representing the worst scenario.
  • Preparation and Custodianship: The GHI is an annual report that is meticulously prepared and maintained by European non-governmental organizations, Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe.

Criticism of the GHI Report

  • The Indian government has vehemently rejected the GHI report, denouncing it as a flawed measure of "hunger" that fails to accurately represent India's actual position.
  • The Women and Child Development Ministry has raised several objections, including "serious methodological issues" and alleged "malafide intent" in the report's preparation.
  • The ministry has questioned the validity of the indicators used in the GHI calculation, particularly the "Proportion of Undernourished (PoU) population," which is deemed based on an opinion poll with a small sample size of 3,000.
  • The ministry further challenges the GHI's use of child wasting as an indicator, citing inconsistent data and asserting that the percentage of child wasting has been consistently below 7.2 percent, in contrast to the GHI's reported figure of 18.7 percent.
  • Additionally, the ministry argues that indicators like stunting and wasting are influenced by multifaceted factors beyond hunger, such as sanitation, genetics, environment, and food intake utilization.
  • Finally, the government disputes the notion that child mortality is solely an outcome of hunger, stating that there is insufficient evidence to support this claim.

Initiatives in India to Combat Hunger and Malnutrition

Eat Right India Movement:

    • Organized by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
    • An outreach program aimed at encouraging citizens to make healthier food choices.

POSHAN Abhiyan:

    • Launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2018.
    • Focuses on reducing stunting, undernutrition, and anemia among young children, women, and adolescent girls.

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana:

    • A centrally sponsored scheme executed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
    • A maternity benefit program implemented nationwide since January 1, 2017.

Food Fortification:

    • Involves adding essential vitamins and minerals like iron, iodine, zinc, Vitamin A, and D to staple foods such as rice, milk, and salt to enhance their nutritional value.

National Food Security Act, 2013:

    • Legally entitles up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population to receive subsidized food grains through the Targeted Public Distribution System.

Mission Indradhanush:

    • Targets children under 2 years of age and pregnant women for immunization against 12 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPD).

Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme:

    • Offers a comprehensive package of six services, including Supplementary Nutrition, Pre-school non-formal education, Nutrition & health education, Immunization, Health check-up, and Referral services.
    • Beneficiaries include children aged 0-6 years, pregnant women, and lactating mothers.