Congress slams Modi govt as India falls to 101 on Global Hunger Index: 'Will PM listen?'

Lamenting at India's poor ranking on the Global Hunger Index (GHI), Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on Friday, asked the Centre 'Will anyone listen?'. Bristling at Centre's indifference, Surjewala said that if people could not eat in the country, wasn't it a question on the ruling govt's efficiency. Similarly, Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari urged Speaker Om Birla and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu to convene a special Session of Parliament on Status of Human Development Parameters in India. India ranks 101 out of 135 countries in terms of Global Hunger Index.

Congress slams Modi govt over Global Hunger Index

Congress MPs Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi also lashed out at the Centre, pointing out that India had fallen from rank 94 to 101 in the last one year in terms of global hunger. Listing govt's claims of eradicating poverty, hunger and digitising the economy, Sibal pointed out that India now fell below Pakistan and Nepal's ranking in global hunger. Our neighbours' ranks are - Pakistan (92), Bangladesh (76), Sri Lanka (65), China (1-18), Afghanistan (103), Nepal (76), and Myanmar (71). 

India ranks 101 in global hunger Index

As per the GHI, India ranks 101 with a score of 27.5 out of 100. The hunger situation in the country has marginally improved from 2000 when the score was 38.8 to 2021. Categorising India under 'serious', GHI explained that India's poor score is due to having the second-highest population of undernourished people in the world inspite of being the world’s second largest food producer. Stating that India remains home to one third of the world's stunted children, GHI noted that the country has managed to reduce instances of stunting among children by nearly half in the past decade.

Moreover, GHI stated that India’s neighbours, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, have better GHI scores while its BRICS' peers - Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa have  a single-digit score. Lauding India's National Food Security Act (NFSA) enacted in 2013, GHI questioned if the food provided by the Government through its procurement and disbursement schemes serves the calorific requirement. It argued that the system has also altered their food habits, made them dependent on rice and wheat and eliminated traditional diet diversity, thereby reducing the micronutrient content of the food on their plates.

The GHI ranking is based on four factors - Undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, child mortality. GHI scores on a 100-point GHI Severity Scale, where 0 is the best score (no hunger) and 100 is the worst. A value of 0 would mean that a country had no undernourished people in the population, no children younger than five who were wasted or stunted. A value of 100 would signify that a country’s undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, and child mortality levels were each at approximately the highest levels. The GHI Severity Scale shows the severity of hunger—from low to extremely alarming.