Winning Bizness Desk

Mumbai. India's ranking in the Global Hunger Index has declined for the second year in a row. We have got 107th rank in the list of 2022. Last year India was at number 101. A total of 121 countries are included in this list. Neighboring countries Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal are in a better position than us. Pakistan's ranking is 99, Bangladesh's 84, Nepal's 81 and Sri Lanka's 64. Only Afghanistan is behind India with 109th rank. India's position has declined by 13 points in the last two years. In 2019 we were at 94th rank. In this list, 17 countries have come together at the top. These include China, Turkey and Kuwait. Their Global Hunger Index score is less than 5.

Govt rubishes the report

Regarding this report, the Government of India has said that giving false information seems to be the hallmark of the Global Hunger Index. In a statement issued by the government, it has been said that the attempt made to tarnish the image of India can be clearly seen. India is being portrayed as a country that is unable to meet the food security and nutritional needs of its population. This index measures starvation incorrectly. The method used in this is also seriously wrong. Three out of four indicators of this index are related to the health of children and do not represent the entire population.

Congress attacked Modi government

Congress MP P Chidambaram has targeted the central government citing the report. He tweeted that during the 8 years of Modi government since 2014, our GHI score has deteriorated. When will the honorable PM talk on issues like malnutrition, starvation and stunting and wasting in children. The report was questioned by the Indian government after it was ranked above 100 in the Global Hunger Index last year. The government had called it completely different from the ground reality. The government had claimed that the methodology used to prepare this index is not scientific. The ministry in its statement has also raised questions on the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)'s 'The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021'. The data on undernutrition in the Hunger Index is taken from this FAO report.

What is the Global Hunger Index?

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) tells the status of hunger in any country. This list is prepared every year by European NGOs named Concern Worldwide and World Hunger Help. The index is prepared by estimating 4 scales in different countries around the world. The GHI score for each country is calculated on 4 scales of 3 dimensions. These three dimensions are - under restitution, child mortality, child undernutrition. There are two categories of child undernutrition – child wasting and child stunting.