'Effort to taint India's image': Govt trashes Global Hunger Index report

Vibha Sharma

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New Delhi, October 15

India on Saturday trashed the Global Hunger Report 2022, calling it a “consistent effort yet again to taint India’s image as a nation that does not fulfil the food security and nutritional requirements of its population”.

The “index is an erroneous measure of hunger and suffers from serious methodological issues” and “reeks of obvious bias”, stated the scathing statement issued by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

“Misinformation seems to be the hallmark of the annually released Global Hunger Index,” it added

The report by Concern Worldwide and Welt Hunger Hilfe, Non-Government Organisations from Ireland and Germany, respectively, ranked India at 107 among 121 countries.

However, according to the WCD ministry “three out of the four indicators used for calculation of the index are related to the health of children and cannot be representative of the entire population. The fourth and most important indicator estimate of Proportion of Undernourished (PoU) population is based on an opinion poll conducted on a very small sample size of 3,000”.

“The report is not only disconnected from ground reality but also chooses to deliberately ignore efforts made by the Government to ensure food security for the population especially during the Covid Pandemic.

“Taking a one-dimensional view, the report lowers India’s rank based on the estimate of PoU population for India at 16.3%. The FAO estimate is based on “Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)” Survey Module conducted through Gallup World Poll, which is an “opinion poll” based on “8 questions” with a sample size of “3000 respondents”,” the ministry headed by union minister Smriti Irani said, calling the data a “miniscule sample” for a country of India’s size.

“…it also reeks of obvious bias. The publishing agencies of the Global Hunger Report, Concern Worldwide and Welt Hunger Hilfe, have evidently not done their due diligence before releasing the report.

“The matter was taken up with FAO not to use such estimates based on FIES survey module data in July 2022 as the statistical output of the same will not be based on merit. Though an assurance was forthcoming that there will be further engagement on this issue, the publication of the Global Hunger Index report irrespective of such factual considerations is regrettable,” it said.

The ministry said the per capita dietary energy supply in India, as estimated by FAO from the Food Balance Sheets, has been increasing year-on-year owing to enhanced production of major agricultural commodities in the country over the years and there is absolutely no reason why the country’s undernourishment levels should increase.

The Government had taken series of measures to ensure food security, the statement said enlisting the government programmes.

Calculating hunger based on mainly indicators relating to health indicators of children is neither scientific nor rational, it also added.

Earlier, hitting out at the BJP-led Centre, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury asked it to take responsibility. “Dangerous, sharp slide of India on global hunger index since 2014. The Modi government is disastrous for India. Low food stocks barely over minimum buffer plus rising prices. Government must take responsibility for this era of darkness India has been brought to in 8.5 years. Enough of PR, spin & lies,” Yechury tweeted.

Congress leader P Chidambaram said, “When will the honourable PM address real issues like malnutrition, hunger, and stunting and wasting among children? 22.4 crore people in India are considered undernourished.”

“Our score has worsened since 2014 in the 8 years of the Modi government 16.3 per cent of all Indians are undernourished, meaning they do not get enough food.

“19.3 per cent of children are wasted, 35.5 per cent of children are stunted, Hindutva, imposing Hindi and spreading hate are not the antidote to Hunger,” he said.

The Global Hunger Index 2022 ranked India at 107 out of 121 countries, calling its child wasting rate at 19.3 per cent “highest in the world”

“With a score of 29.1, India has a level of hunger that is serious”, as per the report.