Why is it in the news?

• India ranks 111 out of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2023.
• India’s GHI score is 28.7 on a 100-point scale, categorizing its severity of hunger as “serious.”
• Interestingly, India’s neighboring countries, including Pakistan (102nd), Bangladesh (81st), Nepal (69th), and Sri Lanka (60th), have performed comparatively better in the index.

GHI’s score with reference to India

• The child wasting rate in India is 18.7 percent, indicating acute undernutrition among children.
• The undernourishment rate in India is 16.6 percent, highlighting the severity of the issue.
• The under-five mortality rate in India is 3.1 percent.
• A significant concern is the prevalence of anaemia among women aged 15 to 24, with 58.1 percent affected by anaemia.

India’s concern over the GHI’S methodology

• However, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) questions the GHI’s methodology and calls it a flawed measure of hunger.
• According to the ministry, the GHI uses data from India’s National Family Health Survey 5 (NFHS) for indicators, but the MoWCD claims its Poshan Tracker portal shows different child wasting prevalence.

About Global Hunger Index (GHI)

• The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool designed to measure and track hunger at global, regional, and national levels, considering multiple dimensions of hunger over time.
• It is published annually through a partnership between Concern Worldwide, Ireland’s largest aid and humanitarian agency, and Welthungerhilfe.
• The first GHI report was released in 2006.

The GHI score for each country is calculated using a formula that combines four indicators:

• Undernourishment: Indicates the share of the population with insufficient caloric intake.
• Child stunting: Reflects the share of children under age five with low height for their age, indicating chronic undernutrition.
• Child wasting: Reflects the share of children under age five with low weight for their height, indicating acute undernutrition.
• Child mortality: Indicates the share of children who die before their fifth birthday, partially reflecting inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments.