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Critical Topics and Their Significance for the UPSC CSE Examination on October 17, 2024

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What does the Global Hunger Index 2024 state about India?

For Preliminary Examination:  Important Reports

For Mains Examination: GS II - International reports

Context:

The Global Hunger Index for 2024 states that a ‘serious’ level of hunger is prevalent in India. It ranks India 105th among 127 countries, giving it a score of 27.3. A score below 9.9 indicates low levels of hunger, 10-19.9 moderate, 35-49.9 alarming and above 50 extremely alarming.

Read about:

What is Global Hunger Index?

Possible Solutions for the Problems

Key takeaways:

• The Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2024 reports that hunger in India is at a "serious" level, placing the country 105th out of 127 countries with a score of 27.3. The GHI uses a scale where scores below 9.9 indicate low hunger, 10-19.9 signify moderate hunger, 35-49.9 indicate alarming levels, and scores above 50 represent extremely alarming conditions.
• In terms of India’s performance, the score is based on four key factors: child stunting (the percentage of children under five with stunted growth due to chronic undernutrition), undernourishment (the share of the population not consuming enough calories), child wasting (the percentage of children under five who are underweight for their height), and child mortality (the percentage of children who die before reaching the age of five). The report shows that 13.7% of India's population is undernourished, 35.5% of children are stunted, 18.7% are wasted, and 2.9% die before age five. Notably, India has the highest rate of child wasting in the world.
• The report also highlights India's efforts to tackle food insecurity, citing programs such as the National Food Security Act, Poshan Abhiyan, PM Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKAY), and the National Mission for Natural Farming. However, it points out that challenges remain, particularly in addressing the intergenerational cycle of undernutrition, where mothers' poor health during pregnancy leads to low birth weights and further child malnutrition.
• Regarding economic growth, the report notes that the link between GDP growth and hunger reduction is not always straightforward. Economic growth alone does not guarantee improvements in food and nutritional security, and the report calls for policies that prioritize inclusive development and address social and economic inequalities.
• To combat hunger, the report recommends expanding access to social safety nets like the Public Distribution Scheme (PDS), PMGKAY, and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), alongside investments in sustainable agricultural practices. It also emphasizes improving maternal and child health, water, sanitation, and hygiene, and addressing the intersections of food security, gender, and climate change.
• The methodology used in the report has been a point of contention. The Ministry of Women and Child Development expressed concern that data from its Poshan Tracker app was not used. The Ministry highlighted that UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank have recognized the Poshan Tracker as a key tool, showing child wasting rates consistently below 7.2%. 3
• However, researchers defending the GHI's methodology argue that the use of consistent data sources, such as the Joint Malnutrition Estimates and the WHO Global Database, ensures the comparability of the data across countries. They argue that making exceptions for individual countries woul