The government of India has criticized the Global Hunger Index (GHI), stating that it is a flawed measure of hunger and does not accurately represent India’s position. The GHI, which ranked India at 111 out of 125 countries in its 2023 report, uses indicators that are primarily focused on the health of children and may not be representative of the entire population, according to the government.
The government also raised concerns about the methodology of the GHI, highlighting that the fourth indicator, the proportion of undernourished population, is based on an opinion poll conducted with a small sample size of only 3,000 individuals.
In response to the report, the government emphasized that it has taken several measures to address the issue of malnutrition in the country. This includes initiatives such as Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, which aim to combat malnutrition. The Ministry of Women and Child Development has developed the ‘Poshan Tracker’ application to monitor and manage nutrition-related programs. The government highlighted that international organizations like UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank have recognized the ‘Poshan Tracker’ as a significant tool in the field of nutrition.
The government also cited data from the ‘Poshan Tracker’ to challenge the findings of the GHI. They stated that the number of children under 5 years old registered on the tracker has consistently increased since April 2023, and the percentage of child wasting has remained below 7.2%, contradicting the GHI’s reported value of 18.7%.
Additionally, the government argued that the indicators used in the GHI, such as stunting and wasting, are influenced by various other factors, such as sanitation, genetics, environment, and food utilization, apart from hunger itself.
The government further questioned the connection between child mortality and hunger, stating that there is little evidence to support this relationship.
The article concludes by mentioning the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), a government initiative launched to provide food assistance to the poor and needy who were affected by the economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Overall, the government of India has criticized the GHI for being an imperfect measure of hunger, highlighting methodological concerns and presenting data from its own initiatives to challenge the rankings and findings of the report.