What is the global hunger Index? UPSC, Where India’s stand?

• Annual Report:  global hunger Index Jointly published by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe. It was first produced in 2006. It is published every October. The 2020 edition marks the 15^th edition of the GHI.
• Aim: To comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels.
• Calculation: The GHI scores are calculated each year to assess progress and setbacks in combating hunger. It is calculated on the basis of four indicators:
  
  
  • Undernourishment: Share of the population with insufficient caloric intake.
  • Child Wasting: Share of children under age five who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition.
  • Child Stunting: Share of children under age five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition.
  • Child Mortality: The mortality rate of children under the age of five.
• Scoring:
  
  
  • Based on the values of the four indicators, the GHI determines hunger on a 100-point scale where 0 is the best possible score (no hunger) and 100 is the worst.
  • Each country’s GHI score is classified by severity, from low to extremely alarming.

Key findings:

Indian Scenario:

• Overall Performance:
  
  
  • With a score of 27.2, India has a level of hunger that is “serious”.
  • It ranks 94 out of 107 countries in the Index. In 2019, India’s rank was 102 out of 117 countries.
• Comparison with Other Countries:
  
  
  • India features behind Nepal (73), Pakistan (88), Bangladesh (75), Indonesia (70) among others.
  • Out of the total 107 countries, only 13 countries fare worse than India including countries like Rwanda (97), Nigeria (98), Afghanistan (99), Liberia (102), Mozambique (103), Chad (107) among others.

India and Other Countries on the Global Hunger Index

• Among the BRICS grouping, India is ranked the worst, with China at 25 and a score of just 6.5.
• India is behind every other country amongst the South Asian countries.
• Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan (in that order) are all ahead of India.

The way forward.

• Governments, private actors, and NGOs should carefully coordinate their responses to overlapping food and health crises and work with community organizations.
• Adequately distributing nutritious food and health care services to children and lactating mothers. 
•  India must strive to secure nutrition for its children and ensure the timely delivery of food.
• Food should be priced not only by its weight or volume but also by its nutrient density.
• Governments should expand access to maternal and child health care, as well as education on healthy diets and child feeding practices.