Measuring hunger across States

Source– The post is based on the article “Measuring hunger across States” published in “The Hindu” on 4th September 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Social Issues- Issues related to poverty and hunger

Relevance- Issues related to hunger index

News– The article provides details about the State Hunger Index and performance of states in the State Hunger Index.

What are statistics related to the prevalence of hunger in India?

India continues to face significant challenges related to food insecurity, hunger, and child malnutrition. In the 2022 Global Hunger Index, India was ranked 107th out of 121 countries, trailing behind Nigeria (103) and Pakistan (99).

According to the 2022 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, India is home to 224.3 million individuals experiencing undernourishment. Furthermore, disparities in food security and nutrition are clearly evident across different states within India.

What are some facts about the State Hunger Index?

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is determined using four key indicators: the prevalence of calorie undernourishment, stunting, wasting, and mortality among children under five years of age, along with the under-five mortality rate.

In contrast, the State Hunger Index (SHI) employs the same indicators, except for calorie undernourishment. It is replaced by assessing body mass index (BMI) undernourishment among the working-age population.

To calculate the SHI, data for stunting, wasting, and child mortality below the age of five are obtained from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5).

The prevalence of BMI undernourishment is computed using data from NFHS-5 (2019-21) and Wave 1 of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (2017-18).

The SHI score is determined by combining the normalized values of these four indicators using methodologies recommended by the GHI.

The resulting SHI scores fall within a range of 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater hunger levels.

Scores below 10 indicate low hunger, 10-20 signify moderate hunger, 20-30 represent a serious hunger situation, 30-40 denote an alarming hunger level, and scores of 50 or above are classified as extremely alarming hunger levels.

What is the performance of states in the State Hunger Index (SHI)?

Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh achieved a score of 35, categorizing them as ‘alarming.’

Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Maharashtra, and West Bengal all scored higher than the national average of 29. The performance of these states is comparable to that of countries in Africa.

Sikkim, Puducherry, and Kerala scored below 16. These states, along with Manipur, Mizoram, Punjab, Delhi, Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Tamil Nadu, fall into the ‘moderate hunger’ category.

The remaining states, scoring below the national average but above 20, face a ‘serious hunger’ issue.

No state falls into the ‘low hunger’ category. The impact of COVID-19 on the SHI is not accounted for here as post-pandemic estimates are not yet available.

What are the reasons for the worsening GHI score of India?

Over the past five years, India’s GHI score has worsened primarily due to the rising prevalence of calorie undernourishment.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, the proportion of calorie undernourishment in India has been on the rise since 2017. It was 16.3% in 2020.

India’s subpar performance in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) is primarily linked to its significant rates of undernourishment and child malnutrition.

India fares poorly in terms of child wasting, even performing worse than several low-income African countries.

According to the NFHS-5, approximately one-third of children under the age of five in India experience stunted growth and are underweight, while one in five children faces the issue of wasting.