Hunger index: Pakistan, China better off

Despite the recent boom in its economy, India still has a long way to go in eradicating hunger. The latest Global Hunger Index 2007 from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) puts India well behind its neighbours China and Pakistan

• The index is based on proportion of undernourished in the population, prevalence of underweight children under five years and the mortality rate under five years

• India’s score on the progress indicator of the Global Hunger Index is 0.496. The country managed to reduce hunger by 8.7 since 1990 whereas the reduction target is 17.6 for the period from 1990-2015

• Libya is at the top of the list with a score of 0.87 this year whereas it had a score of 2.70 in 1990. Cuba has made the maximum progress in eradicating hunger. It has a score of 0.971 on the Global Hunger Index Progress Indicator and has already reduced to 2.20 on the index in 2007 compared to 5.90 in 1990

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• “In India, economic growth in the agricultural sector has lagged considerably behind growth in other sectors over recent years. This has had a negative effect on progress in alleviating poverty and hunger in rural areas,” says the report.

• The report says the lower castes and certain ethnic minorities continue to be discriminated against in society and are therefore disadvantaged with regard to educational opportunities and the labour market.

• The report adds that “… in some parts of India, for instance, male family members eat first and women make do with the leftovers. Children of undernourished and anaemic mothers have a higher risk of being born underweight.”

• Moreover, 40 per cent of the world’s underweight children under five live in India. More than half of all children with low birth weight are born in South Asia.

Ranking

India:94

Pakistan:88

China:47