India in ‘serious’ category list, falls behind Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh in Global Hunger Index

India’s rank on Global Hunger Index (GHI) report slipped six places to 107^th position out of the total 121 countries, disturbingly below all the South Asian countries except war-torn Afghanistan. According to the report, released on Friday, India’s score of 29.1 places it in the ‘serious’ category. India’s score has improved slightly from last year’s 27.5. However, in 2000, India’s score was a much better 38.8 points.

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) report is likely to create a buzz in the media this year again. For, India’s rank has slipped six places to 107th position out of total 121 countries, which is behind all South Asian countries except war-torn Afghanistan.

The GHI scores are based on the values of four component indicators – undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and child mortality. It tracks hunger globally as well as by region and by country. It is published annually by Concern Worldwide, Ireland’s largest aid and humanitarian agency and Welthungerhilfe.

“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,” the report said. “While child stunting has seen a significant decrease – from 54.2% in 1998-1999 to 35.5% in 2019–2021 – it is still considered very high. At 19.3% – according to the latest data – India has the highest child wasting rate of all countries covered in the GHI.”

Neighbors doing better in GHI

For the second successive year, India has fared poorer than its neighbours Pakistan (99th), Nepal (81st) and Bangladesh (84th). India ranked only two spots above Afghanistan which was 109th on the hunger index.

Countries behind India

Countries ranked below India on the Global Hunger Index are – Zambia, Afghanistan, Timor-Leste, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Lesotho, Liberia, Niger, Haiti, Chad, Dem. Rep. of the Congo, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Yemen. For 15 countries — including Guinea, Mozambique, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Somalia, South Sudan, and Syria — ranks could not be determined owing to lack of data, the report said. The situation in four countries- Burundu, Somalia, South Sudan and Syria- has been categorised as “extremely alarming.”

Pak, Nepal fare better in current list

According to the report, Nepal, Myanmar and Pakistan- have fared better in the 2022 rankings. China, with a score of less than 5, has topped the chart, together with 16 other countries. Globally, 17 countries, including China, Hungary, Montenegro, Uzbekistan, Russia and Saudi Arabia, shared the top spot. No country has been placed in the extremely alarming category this year.

Govt likely to reject the report

Like previous year, it is anticipated that the Union government would reject it even though opposition leaders have started attacking the government for the poor show. The government had last year slammed the report — calling it “shocking” and “devoid of ground reality”– after India fell below the 100th rank. The government claimed the methodology used to calculate the Global Hunger Index is unscientific.

Oppn slams Centre

Lok Sabha member Karti Chidambaram tweeted: “The BJP government will reject this & raid the organization which conducted the study.” P Chidambaram said that India’s score has worsened since 2014 in the eight years of the Modi government. “Hindutva, imposing Hindi and spreading Hate are not the antidote to Hunger,” Chidambaram said in a tweet. Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said that the BJP gives speeches about creating a five trillion economy but 106 countries are “better than us in providing two meals a day.” “India cannot become Number-1 without providing good education to every child,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.

Report to receive traction in poll season

Media, if not some ‘mainstream’ outlets, is going to play out the issue, given the upcoming poll season. Three states –Goa, Gujarat and Himachal – are going to polls this year end. Since the neighbouring nations, including Pakistan, have done relatively better than India, the issue has evoked a lot of interest. Last year, India rejected the GHI report when its rank was lowered, with the government saying that the publishing agencies had not done their “due diligence”.  The government claimed that methodology used to calculate the GHI was unscientific and “devoid of reality”.

-INDIA NEWS STREAM