Hunger in India: A Closer Look at the 2024 Global Hunger Index

Hunger in India: A Closer Look at the 2024 Global Hunger Index

Dikumoni Hazarika

In a nation renowned for its agricultural exports and productivity, the reality of hunger presents a troubling picture.

According to the 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI), India ranks 105th out of 125 countries, showcasing a slight improvement from previous years but still highlighting deep-rooted issues of hunger.

India was ranked 101st in 2021, 107th in 2022, and fell to 111th in 2023, illustrating a troubling journey in the fight against hunger.

Despite being among the world’s largest producers of essential crops such as rice, wheat, milk, and sugarcane, millions in India face hunger and malnutrition. Hunger is increasingly recognized as the foremost problem in India, with the nation lagging behind its South Asian neighbours.

Hunger in India: A Closer Look at the 2024 Global Hunger Index

For instance, countries Bangladesh is ranked 84th, Nepal is ranked 68th, and Sri Lanka is ranked 56th in the 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI) have achieved “moderate” hunger levels, drawing attention to India’s persistent struggles.

Understanding the Global Hunger Index

The GHI serves as a comprehensive tool designed to measure and track hunger at various levels, incorporating multiple dimensions of the issue. It aims to raise awareness about the global struggle against hunger, providing a comparative framework for understanding hunger levels across countries and regions. The GHI draws attention to areas where hunger is most severe, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted interventions.

“Climate-related challenges are increasingly impacting agricultural productivity in India. Changing weather patterns, such as prolonged droughts and heavy rainfall, unexpected disasters can devastate crops and disrupt food supply chains. Widespread corruption within the Public Distribution System and other food welfare programs further complicates food access and food grains often do not reach the intended beneficiaries leading to hunger.”

How Is the GHI Calculated?

India’s GHI score is derived from a formula that combines four critical indicators that capture the multidimensional nature of hunger:

Undernourishment: The percentage of the population with insufficient caloric intake.
Child Stunting: The proportion of children under five with low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition.
Child Wasting: The share of children under five with low weight for their height, indicating acute undernutrition.
Child Mortality: The rate of children who die before their fifth birthday, which reflects the interplay of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments.

Reasons

In India significant portion of food produced goes to waste due to poor storage facilities, inadequate transport infrastructure, and consumer behaviour. Food waste occurs at various levels, including households and markets, compounding the problem of hunger in the country. Climate-related challenges are increasingly impacting agricultural productivity in India.

Changing weather patterns, such as prolonged droughts and heavy rainfall, unexpected disasters can devastate crops and disrupt food supply chains. Widespread corruption within the Public Distribution System and other food welfare programs further complicates food access and food grains often do not reach the intended beneficiaries leading to hunger.

A Call to Action

The findings from the 2024 GHI highlight the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to address hunger in India. Policymakers and stakeholders must prioritize interventions that target the underlying causes of food insecurity, including improving access to nutritious food, enhancing child health services, and promoting educational initiatives, especially for women and marginalized communities.

As India moves forward, the lessons from the GHI can guide efforts to not only improve rankings but, more importantly, ensure that no child goes hungry in a nation blessed with abundant resources.

DIKUMONI HAZARIKA, PhD. Research Scholar (Political Science), Panjab University, Chandigarh

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