India 111th on hunger index; erroneous: Govt

New Delhi, October 12

The Global Hunger Index-2023 on Thursday ranked India 111th among 125 nations, behind Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, in findings which the government rejected.

The report also said the rate of wasting of children (child weight as per height) was the highest in India at 18.7%, reflecting acute undernutrition.

The report further stated that anemia among 15 to 24 year olds is 58.1%. The Union Ministry for Women and Child Development said since April 2023, the real time measurement data of children under 5 years uploaded on Poshan Tracker has consistently increased —from 6.34 crore in April to 7.24 crore in September.

“The percentage of child wasting, as seen on the Poshan Tracker, has been consistently below 7.2%, month-on-month as compared to the value of 18.7% used for child wasting in the index,” the ministry said, adding the index continues to be a flawed measure of ‘hunger’ and does not reflect India’s true position.