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West-Backed Global Hunger Index Raises Eyebrows in India
West-Backed Global Hunger Index Raises Eyebrows in India
Sputnik India
The Indian government has rejected the Global Hunger Index 2023 report as “malafide”, saying it suffers from “serious methodological issues”.
2023-10-18T18:27+0530
2023-10-18T18:27+0530
2023-10-18T18:45+0530
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Last week's Global Hunger Index (GHI), which placed India at 111 out of 125 countries, has been strongly criticised by a prominent Hindu nationalist group in India.The Global Hunger Index is published jointly by Concern Worldwide, an Irish humanitarian organisation, and the German charity Welthungerhilfe.“Some western organisations have been using their own data rather than relying on data published by the Government of India,” said Mahajan, a professor at Delhi University (DU).He noted that the Indian government has provided five kilograms of either wheat or rice free of cost to nearly 800 million Indians under a scheme known as the 'PM Jan Kalyan Yojana'.The Indian government has generously donated countless tons of food aid to several countries during the pandemic. The aid includes essential staples like wheat, rice, lentils, and pulses, benefiting nations such as Afghanistan, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.India, amidst the pandemic crisis, has emerged as a prominent exporter of wheat and rice. In an exemplary demonstration of commitment, India has pledged to take a decisive lead in combating global food shortages, not only during its current G20 presidency, but also in the future.What is Global Hunger Index, and What does it Say About India?The Global Hunger Index describes itself as a “peer-reviewed” report to track hunger at global, regional and national levels.GHI claims to source its data from “internationally recognised sources”.India's position on the Global Hunger Index has remained consistently low for the past three years.In 2021, it was ranked 101 out of 116 countries, and the following year, 2022, it held the same position. India's hunger situation this year is classified as 'severe', a slight improvement compared to countries ranked below India, where hunger levels are deemed 'alarming'.The GHI 2023 report claims that India's child stunting rate of 18.7 per cent is the highest in the world.According to the report, the country has a child stunting rate of 35.5 per cent, while undernourishment stands at 16.6 per cent and its child mortality rate is 3.1 per cent (31 child deaths per 1,000 births).The GHI ranks neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, crisis-hit Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as doing better than India on hunger. Significantly, New Delhi is a major development partner of both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.The SJM disputes the GHI report on all the four parameters.Child Mortality in IndiaMahajan highlighted that according to data released by the official Sample Registration System of India, child mortality in India has experienced a significant decline.GHI 2023 claims that India's child mortality rate is 31 per thousand.Lack of Data on Malnutrition in IndiaAccording to Mahajan, the lack of access to any reliable or accurate data on malnutrition is due to the absence of a household consumption survey in India since 2011.He noted that the Poshan Tracker, an initiative of the Government of India, puts malnutrition at 7.7 per cent in February, according to the latest available official Indian data.The GHI claims that malnutrition in India is 16.6 per cent.Child Stunting and Child WastingMahajan said that there can not be a just one “single standard of height for the entire country”,
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West-Backed Global Hunger Index Raises Eyebrows in India
18:27 18.10.2023 (Updated: 18:45 18.10.2023) The Indian government has rejected the Global Hunger Index 2023 report as “malafide”, saying it suffers from “serious methodological issues”.
Last week's Global Hunger Index (GHI), which placed India at 111 out of 125 countries, has been strongly criticised by a prominent Hindu nationalist group in India.
The Global Hunger Index is published jointly by Concern Worldwide, an Irish humanitarian organisation, and the German charity Welthungerhilfe.
Ashwani Mahajan, co-convenor of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), a group linked to India's powerful Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), told Sputnik India that the Global Hunger Index report was calculated using "outdated data sets" instead of relying on official government data.
“Some western organisations have been using their own data rather than relying on data published by the Government of India,” said Mahajan, a professor at Delhi University (DU).
The Indian activist-academic also accused these Western organisations of 'defaming' India and having 'vested interests'. Mahajan called for "investigating the funding patterns" of the organisations publishing the Global Hunger Index report to know their "agenda".
He noted that the Indian government has provided five kilograms of either wheat or rice free of cost to nearly 800 million Indians under a scheme known as the 'PM Jan Kalyan Yojana'.
Mahajan also questioned how the Global Hunger Index could estimate that hunger in India had worsened when New Delhi was actively involved in providing food and humanitarian aid to many developing countries.
The Indian government has generously donated countless tons of food aid to several countries during the pandemic. The aid includes essential staples like wheat, rice, lentils, and pulses, benefiting nations such as Afghanistan, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
India, amidst the pandemic crisis, has emerged as a prominent exporter of wheat and rice. In an exemplary demonstration of commitment, India has pledged to take a decisive lead in combating
global food shortages, not only during its current G20 presidency, but also in the future.
What is Global Hunger Index, and What does it Say About India?
The Global Hunger Index describes itself as a “peer-reviewed” report to track hunger at global, regional and national levels.
According to its website, GHI uses four broad parameters to track hunger: undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality
GHI claims to source its data from “internationally recognised sources”.
India’s score on the hunger index was 28.7 in 2023.
India's position on the Global Hunger Index has remained consistently low for the past three years.
In 2021, it was ranked 101 out of 116 countries, and the following year, 2022, it held the same position. India's hunger situation this year is classified as 'severe', a slight improvement compared to countries ranked below India, where hunger levels are deemed 'alarming'.
The GHI 2023 report claims that India's child stunting rate of 18.7 per cent is the highest in the world.
According to the report, the country has a child stunting rate of 35.5 per cent, while undernourishment stands at 16.6 per cent and its child mortality rate is 3.1 per cent (31 child deaths per 1,000 births).
The GHI ranks neighbouring countries such as Pakistan,
crisis-hit Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as doing better than India on hunger. Significantly, New Delhi is a major development partner of both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
"If the report is to be believed, the performance of countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka etc, which themselves depend on food supplies from Bharat, is much better than India's. In such a situation, it is natural to raise questions about this report," SJM stated on Thursday.
The SJM disputes the GHI report on all the four parameters.
The business group estimated that the real hunger index in India, based on data available from official sources, is 9,528, more than three times higher than the GHI.
Mahajan highlighted that according to data released by the official Sample Registration System of India, child mortality in India has experienced a significant decline.
"In India, the child mortality rate has declined from 35 per thousand in 2019 to 32 per thousand in 2020. If this rate of decline in child mortality is taken into account, it is expected to reach 24.4 by 2023," he pointed out.
GHI 2023 claims that India's child mortality rate is 31 per thousand.
Lack of Data on Malnutrition in India
According to Mahajan, the lack of access to any reliable or accurate data on malnutrition is due to the absence of a household consumption
survey in India since 2011.
He noted that the Poshan Tracker, an initiative of the Government of India, puts malnutrition at 7.7 per cent in February, according to the latest available official Indian data.
The GHI claims that malnutrition in India is 16.6 per cent.
Child Stunting and Child Wasting
Mahajan said that there can not be a just one “single standard of height for the entire country”,
"Not only stunting, but even wasting depends on many factors, including geography, environment, genetics and nutrition. If we talk about height, Punjabi children are several centimetres taller than children in the northeast," the Indian expert said, citing the views of health experts.
