The Centre disregarded the Global Hunger Index 2022 report on Saturday. The report rated India 107th out of 121 nations, with the highest child mortality rate in the world at 19.3%. A technique for fully measuring and monitoring hunger at the international, regional, and national levels is the Global Hunger Index (GHI).
The index, according to a statement from the ministry of women and child development, is a “erroneous indicator of hunger” and has “severe methodological flaws.” “Three of the four indicators that were used to calculate the index are connected to children’s health, therefore they cannot be considered to be typical of the general population.
Indicator estimates for the proportion of the population who are undernourished (PoU) are based on an opinion survey with a relatively tiny sample size of only 3000 people, according to the ministry.
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“Yet again, it is clear that a concerted effort is being made to damage India’s reputation as a country that fails to meet the nutritional and food security needs of its people. The Global Hunger Index, which is produced annually, appears to be characterized by misinformation,” it continued.
The Narendra Modi administration’s attempts to provide food security for the populace, particularly during the Covid-19 outbreak, were allegedly purposefully ignored by the study, which the Center claimed is not only out of touch with actual events but also detached from them.
Based on the estimate of the Proportion of Undernourished (PoU) population for India at 16.3%, the report reduces India’s ranking when taking a one-dimensional approach. The Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) Survey Module, a Gallop World Poll “opinion poll” with “8 questions” and a sample size of “3000 respondents,” is the basis for the FAO estimate.
For a nation the size of India, the PoU number was calculated using data from a tiny sample obtained through FIES, which is not only incorrect and unethical, but also blatantly biased. Concern Worldwide and Welt Hunger Hilfe, the publishing companies for the Global Hunger Report, “apparently did not complete its due diligence before distributing the report,”
The level of hunger in India has been classified as “severe” with a score of 29.1. Afghanistan, which is ranked 109th in Asia, is the only nation after India. India has performed worse than its neighbors, Pakistan (99), Bangladesh (84), Nepal (81) and Sri Lanka (64). India was ranked 94th in 2020 and 101st out of 116 nations in 2021, respectively.
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According to the report, South Asia, which has the greatest prevalence of hunger in the world, also has the worst rates of child stunting and wasting. Due to its large population, India has the highest child wasting rate in the world (19.3%), which raises the average for the area. Between 35 and 38 percent of children in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan suffer stunting, with Afghanistan having the highest rate in the region.
Politicians and activists have criticized the government for India’s placement. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) secretary general, Sitaram Yechury, declared that the government must bear responsibility for the dark period that has gripped India for the past 8.5 years.
