According to the 2016 Global Hunger Index (GHI), 38% of Indian children under the age of 5 have stunted growth due to non-availability of food. India was ranked 97 among 118 countries, worse than its neighbours China (29), Nepal (72), Myanmar (75), Sri Lanka (84) and Bangladesh (90). Only Pakistan (107) fares worse than India in the report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a multidimensional statistical tool used to describe the state of countries’ hunger situation. It describes India’s hunger situation as ‘serious’. On a 0 – 100 point scale, with 100 being the absolute worst in hunger levels, India scored 28.5 – a marginal improvement of a quarter point since the turn of the century. Although, with the country all set to be the most populous in the world in the next 10-odd years, the improvement may well reverse, reports Times of India.
“India is slated to become the world’s most populous nation in just six years, and it’s crucial that we meet this milestone with a record of ensuring that the expected 1.4 billion Indians have enough nutritious food to lead healthy and successful lives,” said PK Joshi, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Director for South Asia.
“India is making tremendous progress—but we have significant challenges ahead.”
Overall, the Central African Republic, Chad and Zambia fared the worst while Argentina fared the best among the countries included in the study.
