Global Hunger Index: Govt Calls Out Methodology After India Ranked Below Economically Troubled Pakistan, Sri Lanka

The Indian government has expressed its criticism of the Global Hunger Index for 2023, in which India was ranked 111 out of 125 countries.

The government labeled it as an "erroneous measure of hunger" and rejected its findings, citing significant methodological flaws in the index, as reported by Hindustan Times.

The Global Hunger Index, jointly released by Concern Worldwide and Welt Hunger Hilfe, two non-governmental organizations from Ireland and Germany, placed India lower in the rankings compared to its neighboring countries.

Pakistan (102), Bangladesh (81), Nepal (69), and Sri Lanka (60) are all ranked better than India in terms of hunger as per the report.

In contrast to the previous year, India's position in the Global Hunger Index has slipped by four places. In 2022, India was ranked 107 out of 121 countries.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development emphasized that the Global Hunger Index is an inadequate measure of hunger, as it focuses solely on three indicators related to child health, making it unsuitable for representing the entire population accurately.

Furthermore, the ministry pointed out that the fourth indicator, known as the "Proportion of Undernourished (PoU) population," relies on an opinion poll conducted with a small sample size of only 3,000 individuals.

According to the report, India received a score of 28.7 on the Global Hunger Index for 2023. The rate of undernourishment in India is reported to be 16.6 per cent, with an under-five mortality rate of 3.1 per cent.

The report also controversially states that 58.1 per cent of Indian women aged 15 to 24 suffer from anemia. India is shown to have the highest child-wasting rate, which compares children's weight to their height, at 18.7 per cent.

However, the government claims that the "Poshan Tracker" consistently reports child wasting in India at below 7.2 per cent month-on-month, contradicting the Global Hunger Index 2023's reported rate of 18.7 per cent.

The "Poshan Tracker" app is a real-time monitoring tool developed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, aiding in policy decision-making.

The government has prioritized tackling malnutrition through initiatives like Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0). These programs are dedicated to addressing malnutrition and implementing essential measures.

Additionally, under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), around 111.8 lakh tonnes of food grains have been allocated in the span of 28 months.

This initiative has been a significant boon to nearly 80 crore beneficiaries, ensuring they have access to essential food supplies.