Empty stomachs

India's 105th ranking in the 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a damning reflection of its struggle to secure the basic right to food and nutrition for its people. With a GHI score of 27.3, India falls into the "serious" category, lagging behind its South Asian neighbors like Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, which are in the "moderate" category. This alarming ranking, alongside countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan, is a stark indicator of systemic neglect.

The statistics are grim: 13.7% of India's population is undernourished, 35.5% of children under five are stunted, and 18.7% suffer from wasting. Worse, 2.9% of children die before their fifth birthday. Such figures reveal more than just hunger; they expose an entrenched crisis of undernutrition, inadequate healthcare, and an unhealthy environment. In essence, India’s developmental progress is being compromised at its roots—children who should represent the nation’s future are denied a healthy start.

The GHI’s findings also show the stark inequality in India’s economic growth narrative. Despite being the world's fastest-growing economy in 2024, with a GDP of nearly $4 trillion, income inequality persists. India's per capita income stands at only a fraction of the global average, highlighting a troubling disparity between economic growth and human development. Food inflation, which has more than doubled over two years, disproportionately impacts the poor, pushing essential nutrition further out of reach for millions.

While the government attributes rising food prices to extreme weather events, the reality is that India’s food production has remained robust, reaching 332 million tonnes in 2023-24. Yet, despite bumper harvests of staple grains like rice and wheat, the country faces persistent malnutrition. This suggests a failure in distribution and access rather than production—a flaw in policy rather than capability. It also underscores the critical role climate change plays in exacerbating food security issues, as erratic weather patterns disrupt crops like pulses and vegetables.

India's healthcare and safety net systems appear inadequate in addressing these crises. Child stunting and wasting rates remain alarmingly high, suggesting that even when food is available, it does not reach the most vulnerable. The government’s inability to tackle these fundamental challenges not only highlights its disregard for sustainable food security but also its reluctance to confront the realities of climate change.

The GHI report serves as a wake-up call. Without meaningful intervention—such as expanding nutritional programs, improving healthcare access, and building resilient agricultural systems—India’s demographic dividend will remain a mirage. Policymakers must address this crisis with the urgency it demands, prioritizing human development over GDP growth to ensure that no child is left to suffer the consequences of hunger.