Global Hunger Index - India

What is the issue?

• Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has recently released the Global Hunger Index (GHI) report.
• India's low 100th rank among 119 countries calls for serious attention to the issue.

What is Global Hunger Index?

• The GHI score is a multidimensional index composed of four indicators:

1. proportion of undernourished in the population.
2. mortality rate of children under the age of five (deaths per 1000 live births).
3. proportion of children under five suffering from wasting (low weight for height).
4. proportion of children under five suffering from stunting (lower height than typical for age).

• India's 100th rank is worse than the likes of North Korea, Bangladesh, and Iraq.
• And is only better than Pakistan and Afghanistan among Asian countries.
• Notably, India is at the high end of the “serious” category.

What is the anomaly in this regard?

• India is the world’s second largest food producer; but is also home to the second highest population of under-nourished in the world.

• India has taken some successful measures in addressing lack of access to food.
• E.g. The Food Security Act, mid-day meals, ICDS, etc.
• Also, India has witnessed  a decline in stunting and a sharp fall in under-5 mortality in the last 25 years.
• India is thus not "hungry" in terms of calorific intake.
• However, the calorific intake is poorly reflected in the physiological outcomes such as height and weight.
• More than one-fifth of Indian children under five are 'wasted' and over a third are 'stunted'.
• Therefore, despite the relative progress over the years, the numbers remain still high for child wasting and stunting.

What is the cause?

• Household's poor access to sanitation, one of the factors that GHI also points out, is said to be the prime cause for child wasting and stunting.
• Poor sanitation causes poor absorption of nutrients.
• Also, the ill-effects of open defecation and water contamination are hampering the possible positive results of nutrients intake.
• Notably, water-borne diseases like diarrhoea have been responsible for most of the under-5 deaths.

What should be done?

• It is essential for India to take measures on improving sanitation and fighting related infections.
• The children and their caregivers should be trained to follow hygienic practices and take healthy foods.
• Inequality in all its forms must be addressed to meet Sustainable Development Goal 2 of Zero Hunger for everyone by 2030.
• This can not only improve India's ranking but also render meaningful its efforts on food security.

Source: Financial Express