The Hunger Level Increases in India;
Govt. must handle the issue with a priority

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) ranking has witnessed India's ranking slip further to 107 out of 121 in 2022 from 101 out of 116 countries listed in 2021. The Government of India has abandoned the ranking calling the methodology "erroneous". India is one of the lowest-ranked Asian economies in the latest list, with only war-torn Afghanistan faring worse than India. India's GHI score is 29.1, which displays an extreme hunger level as per the latest rankings.

Any country that scored between 20 and 35 is believed to have a severe hunger issue. India's GHI score is lower than in 2014 (28.2), which means hunger levels have gone up since 2014. One of the reasons for the fall in GHI ranking could be the misery created by the pandemic. Recently, a World Bank report said that 56 million people were forced into poverty in India due to Covid-19. Economist Jayati Ghosh noted that the slip in the GHI was expected "given the terrible pandemic response".

Each time India slips on the Global Hunger Index (GHI), the Government of India questions the trustworthiness of undernourishment data collected via the Gallup survey solely because other data come from government sources. However, if the government is keen to safeguard itself, it may find a better explanation. For example, ranking is a relative indicator and is impacted not just by India's performance but also by the performance of other countries. This means India's ranking can go down if other countries have enhanced their performances, even if India's final position is unaltered.

Thus, to understand the indian scenario, it is essential to look at the ranking in light of the GHI score that India has acquired over the years. Between 2016 and 2022, India ranked 100th or below on the GHIs, excluding 2020. While India's GHI ranking has worsened since 2016, interestingly, India's scores look more or less flat.

At the same time, the GHI ranking and the scores of India's South Asia counterparts have enhanced. Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan have improved their scores. In contrast, India's score has reduced slightly, leading to a visible decline in India's ranking on GHI 2022 that needs to be taken up more seriously by the Govt.