After falling to 107th place out of 121 nations on Sunday, India referred to the 2022 Global Hunger Index (GHI) report as a “erroneous measure of hunger” and asserted that it “suffers from major methodological problems.” The GHI report is not only detached from reality, but it also “deliberately ignores efforts done by the government to promote food security,” particularly during the Covid pandemic, according to a news release from the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development. The ministry stated that three of the four variables used to calculate the index were connected to children’s health and could not be considered representative of the general population. India was placed 101st in 2021. It is currently ranked 107th, below its neighbours Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. With GHI scores of fewer than five, seventeen nations, including China, Turkey, and Kuwait, shared the top spot. The Indian ministry expressed doubts about the survey’s sample size, stating that “the fourth and most significant indicator of Proportion of Undernourished (PoU) population is based on an opinion poll conducted on a relatively tiny sample size of 3,000.” Although the issue was brought up with the FAO [Food and Agricultural Organization] and an assurance was received, the ministry described the GHI study as having a “one-dimensional approach” and stated that it was regrettable that it had been published despite these factual concerns. Serious reservations were also highlighted in the ministry’s note regarding certain of the surveyors’ queries posed to respondents in India. “It is apparent that such questions do not seek for facts based on relevant information about the ensuring of food security and the supply of nutritional support,” the ministry stated. It was further said that it is “neither scientific nor rational” to estimate hunger based largely on children’s health indicators.
