Ending Global Hunger & India’s Role – Explained Pointwise

The UN’s recently released The State of Food Security & Nutrition in the World 2025 reports that 8.2% of the world’s population was undernourished in 2024 i.e. 673 million people. This was down from 688 million people in 2023, however, it has still not reached to the pre-pandemic levels (7.3% in 2018).
India has played a pivotal role in this global progress as the revised estimates of NSSO’s household consumption survey shows that the prevalence of undernourishment in India has declined from 14.3% in 2020-22 to 12% in 2022-24.

What are the factors responsible for decline in hunger in India?

1. Public Distribution System (PDS) Reforms: India’s PDS has undergone profound transformation. The system has been revitalised through digitalisation, Aadhar-enabled targeting, real-time inventory tracking & biometric authentication. Introduction of Aadhaar-enabled targeting and the “One Nation One Ration Card” has increased entitlements and portability, reducing leakages and exclusion errors.
2. Expansion of Food Security Programs: Schemes like the National Food Security Act, PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, Poshan Abhiyan, and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) have improved food access and nutrition for vulnerable groups, especially children and pregnant/lactating women. PM-POSHAN & ICDS are now focusing dietary diversity & nutrition sensitivity, laying the foundation for long-term improvements in child development & public health.
3. Economic Growth & Poverty Reduction: While challenges persist, economic growth has led to falling poverty rates which enables greater affordability and access to food for many households.
4. Targeted Schemes: Schemes like PM POSHAN (mid-day meal) and local maternal/child health programs have addressed calorie sufficiency and improved nutrition outcomes.
5. Empowerment of Women & Local Communities: Supporting women-led enterprises, local cooperatives, and community involvement has helped address gender-based disparities and improve household food security.
6. Technological innovations: Use of digital platforms (AgriStack, e-NAM) has improved planning, market access, and transparency for small farmers, supporting rural food availability.

What are the challenges that remain?

1. High Food Prices and Limited Access to Nutritious Foods: The cost of a healthy dies in India remains unaffordable for over 60% of the population due to high prices of nutrient-dense foods, inadequate cold changes & inefficient market linkages.
2. Malnutrition & Micronutrient Deficiency: India faces the double burden of malnutrition: undernutrition (stunting, wasting, underweight) alongside rising obesity. Micronutrient deficiencies (“hidden hunger”)—iron, iodine, vitamin A—are widespread, affecting cognitive and physical development.
3. Weak implementation of Nutrition Programmes: Many states have gaps in implementing mid-day meals, ICDS, and other nutrition-focused schemes, especially in areas with high poverty ratios. Lack of fortified food and poor nutrition education diminish program impact.
4. Supply Chain & Infrastructure Bottlenecks: Post-harvest losses due to poor logistics, storage, and transport reduce food availability; up to 13% of food is lost before reaching consumers. Efficiency of the Public Distribution System (PDS) is still hampered by leakages and exclusion errors despite digital reforms.
5. Urban Area’s Nutrition Problems: Urban poor suffer both undernutrition and rising obesity due to increased consumption of processed, calorie-rich but nutrient-poor foods.

What can be the way forward?

1. Agri-food System Transformation: Boosting the production & affordability of nutrient-rich foods such as pulses, fruits & vegetables and animal source products.
2. Expand Public Distribution System (PDS): Diversify PDS beyond cereals to include pulses, millets, and fortified foods. Accelerate technology-driven solutions like biometric authentication and GPS tracking to reduce leakages and improve targeting.
3. Promote Nutrition-Centric & Inclusive Schemes: Scale up and rigorously implement programs like Poshan Abhiyan, PM POSHAN (mid-day meals), and ICDS, ensuring coverage of maternal and child health. Launch mass campaigns to promote the consumption and production of locally adapted nutrient-rich foods including millets, pulses, indigenous vegetables, and animal products.
4. Technological interventions: Use platforms like AgriStack, e-NAM, and geospatial tools for agricultural planning, logistics, and targeted interventions. Invest in climate-resilient agriculture—drought-resistant crop varieties, water-efficient irrigation, and sustainable farming—to buffer food supply against climate shocks.
5. Improve supply chains & Reduce food wastage: Upgrade storage, transportation, and cold-chain infrastructure to minimize post-harvest losses and ensure nutrient-rich food reaches vulnerable populations.
6. Empower local communities & women: India should further strengthen support for women-led food enterprises & local cooperatives, including FPOs, especially those cultivating climate resilient-crops, as these can enhance both nutrition & livelihoods.
7. Promote Urban Food Security Measures: Develop targeted programs for urban poor, including community kitchens, food banks, and urban agriculture initiatives.

Conclusion:
India’s experience, especially as the leader of Global South, shows that reducing hunger is not only possible but that it can be scaled when backed by political will, smart investment, and inclusion. With just 5 years remaining to meet the targets of SDG, India should adopt the leadership role because the path to ending global hunger runs through India.