Lok Sabha Question No. 595 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-09
Subject: India`s Ranking in GHI
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Karti P. Chidambaram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 595

TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.12.2022

## INDIA'S RANKING IN GHI

## 595.     SHRI KARTI P. CHIDAMBARAM:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of India's ranking in the Global Hunger lndex (GHI) Report since 2014 upto the current year, year-wise;
- (b)      the manner in which the Government will achieve the target of zero  hunger with India's abysmal ranking of 107 out of 121 countries in the GHI for 2022;
- (c)       whether it is a fact that India's GHI score out of 100 has increased from 28.2 in 2014 to 29.1 in 2022, showing a worsening of the hunger crisis, and if so, the reasons therefor; and
- (d)       the number of starvation related deaths among children and adults in India since 2014, year-wise, including the current year?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) to (d) Global Hunger Index (GHI) does not reflect India's true picture as it is a flawed measure of 'Hunger'. It should not be taken at face value as it is neither appropriate nor representative  of  hunger  prevalent  in  a  country.  Out  of  its  four  indicators,  only  one indicator,  i.e.,  undernourishment,  is  directly  related  to  hunger.  The  two  indicators, namely, Stunting and Wasting are outcomes of complex interactions of various other factors  like  sanitation,  genetics,  environment  and  utilisation  of  food  intake  apart  from hunger which is taken as the causative/outcome factor for stunting and wasting in the GHI. Also, there is hardly any evidence that the fourth indicator, namely, child mortality is an outcome of hunger.

As  per  Global  Hunger  lndex  2022  released  by  Concern  Worldwide  and Welthungerhilfe, India stands at rank 107 out of 121 countries with a score of 29.1. India stood at rank 55 out of 76 countries with a score of 28.2 in 2014. Indian rank was 80 out of 104 countries in 2015, 97 out of 118 countries in 2016, 100 out of 119 countries in 2017, 103 out of 119 countries in 2018, 102 out of 117 countries in 2019, 94 out of 107 countries in 2020 and 101 out of 116 countries in 2021.

The Government of India has implemented the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA)  in  all  the  States  /  Union  Territories,  on  an  all-India  basis  with  a  maximum coverage of 81.35 Crore persons thus addressing hunger alleviation of the bottom 67% of the population at 2011 census. The Act provides for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable  prices  to  people  to  live  a  life  with  dignity.  It  marks  a  paradigm  shift  in  the approach to food security from welfare to rights-based approach. The coverage under the Act is substantially high to ensure that all the vulnerable and needy sections of the society  get  its  benefit.  At  present,  against  the  intended  coverage  of  81.35  Crore persons, the States/UTs have already identified 80.03 Crore persons.

There is no report of starvation deaths from States / UTs.

*****