The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool for comprehensively measuring and tracking hunger at global, regional, and national levels.
New Delhi: Among 121 countries, India slipped from its 101st rank in 2021 to 107th rank in 2022, behind Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. According to the website of the Global Hunger Index (GHI), as many as 17 countries shared the top rank with scores less than five.
Among the 17 countries are China, Turkey and Kuwait. The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool for comprehensively measuring and tracking hunger at global, regional, and national levels.
The report was jointly prepared by Irish aid agency Concern Worldwide and German organisation Welt Hunger Hilfe. The report termed the level of hunger in India “serious” and gave a score of 29.1. The score was 38.8 in 2000 and toggled between 28.2 and 29.1 between 2014 and 2022.
What progress has India made according to the GHI?
Since 2000, India has made substantial progress, but there are still areas of concern, particularly regarding child nutrition. India’s GHI score has decreased from a 2000 GHI score of 38.8 points — considered alarming — to a 2022 GHI score of 29.1 — considered serious.
India’s proportion of undernourished in the population is considered to be at a medium level and its under-five child mortality rate is considered low. While child stunting has seen a significant decrease — from 54.2 percent in 1998–1999 to 35.5 percent in 2019–2021 — it is still considered very high. At 19.3 percent — according to the latest data — India has the highest child wasting rate of all countries covered in the GHI. This rate is higher than it was in 1998–1999, when it was 17.1 percent.
Slamming the Centre, CPIM general secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted, “Dangerous, sharp slide of India on global hunger index since 2014. Modi govt is disastrous for India. Low food stocks barely over minimum buffer + 🔺prices. Govt must take responsibility for this era of darkness India has been brought to in 8.5 years. Enough of PR, spin & lies.”
According to the GHI website, “The 2022 Global Hunger Index assesses the hunger situation on a global and regional level as well as the situation in 136 countries, of which 121 had sufficient data to calculate 2022 GHI scores. The GHI is a measure of development outcomes in the domain of hunger. It is important to differentiate between policy interventions and their outcomes, so that the effectiveness of government programs and other interventions in improving outcomes can be evaluated.”
