Hunger pangs

THE Global Hunger Index (GHI)-2023 has ranked India 111th out of 125 countries, with the level of hunger falling in the ‘serious’ category; the country also has the highest child wasting rate (18.7 per cent) in the world. This should rouse the policymakers to strengthen hunger and malnutrition mitigation schemes such as the Poshan Abhiyaan. While the GHI report has been dismissed as flawed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development for its allegedly questionable methodology and mala fide intent, the country’s National Family Health Survey (NFHS), too, paints a grim picture. The NFHS-5 report showing a significant increase in the neonatal mortality rate and the proportion of stunted children in Maharashtra is just one indicator exemplifying the worrisome state of affairs. Last month’s Poshan Tracker figures reveal that there are over 4.3 million malnourished children in India.

It is indeed paradoxical that a large chunk of the population of India, a country which is not only self-sufficient in food production but also exports surplus produce and is the fastest-growing major economy globally, should find itself below nations like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sub-Saharan African countries on critical nutrition parameters.

According to NITI Aayog’s National Multidimensional Poverty Index, the percentage of people living in such poverty was nearly 15. The NITI report released in July showed that a whopping 74 per cent people can’t afford healthy food. Ensuring access to wholesome food for all must be complemented by the availability of clean water and sanitary conditions for better nutrition results. At the present rate, India is lagging in the race to achieve zero hunger by 2030 as per the Sustainable Development Goals.