This Article First Appeared In The Print On October 17, 2022.
On 14 October, the Global Hunger Index 2022 was released. Out of 121 countries, India ranks 107, and the level of hunger and undernutrition in the country is now at “serious” levels. India’s rank on this index has been worsening since 2020 — 94 in 2020 and 101 in 2021. In fact, as of now, at 19.3 percent, it has the highest rate of child wasting, or the proportion of children under 5 years with lower weight for their height, in the world. About 16.3 percent of Indians are undernourished, and about one in every three children is stunted, meaning the proportion of children under 5 years with lower height for age..