Malnutrition in India

India is home to the largest number of hungry people in the world. The Global Hunger Index
(GHI) 2010 ranks India at 67 out of 122 countries; whereas the ‘2012 Global Hunger Index’ (IFPRI)
ranks it at 65 among 79 countries. Similarly, malnutrition in India, especially among children and
women, is widespread, acute and even alarming. As per a Global Survey Report released by Save the
Children on 19th
 July 2012, India is ranked at 112 among the 141 nations as regards child development
index (CDI). And there are disparities across various sections of the society and states.
 India has relatively too little land (only 2.5% of the world’s area) for its large population (17%
of the world’s population). However, as of now, plenty of food grains and the large number of
hungry and malnourished people coexist for want of purchasing power and distributive justice.
As per ‘The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2012’, India remains home to the largest
number of undernourished people in the world: 217 million (17.5% of its population) as of 2012.
However, the status of hunger and malnutrition in India varies according different sources/estimates,
and goes up to 67% to 77%. Nevertheless, 75% Indians suffer from hunger to varying degrees, 50% of
them acutely.
Hunger and malnutrition are, to a large extent, two sides of the same coin. The recent Global
Study referred to earlier says that 42% children in India are underweight and 58% of children are
stunted by two years of age. The findings of the HUNGaMA Survey Report are also the same except
that 59%, instead of 58%, children are stunted. Moreover, hunger and malnutrition have a distinct
gender dimension and are widespread among the women/mothers. Every second woman in India is
reported anaemic. Actually, anaemia affects 75% children below 5 years, 51% women of 15-59 years
and 87% pregnant women. More than 70% women and kids have serious nutritional deficiencies. So
it is but natural for IMR and MMR to be high. Similarly, Scheduled Tribes (STs), Scheduled Castes
(SCs) and minorities ((Muslims) are greatly disadvantaged as regards hunger and malnutrition.
Moreover, 12 of the 17 major states fall into the ‘alarming’ category, and one into the ‘extremely
alarming’ category (ISHI); these 17 states comprise 95% of the population of India. Not the least,
persisting food inflation (based on WPI), 7.8% as of 15th
 October 2012, further aggravates the
problem, especially for the poor. Poverty, gender inequality and low level of awareness are,
however, the primary/major causes of hunger and malnutrition. Due recognition of the problem of poverty and hunger is there in the government at the
highest level as aptly reflected in the excerpt from the Acceptance Speech delivered by the newly
elected President of India immediately after the oath taking ceremony on 25th
 July 2012 as follows:
“Our national mission must continue to be what it was……: to eliminate the curse of
poverty….. There is no humiliation more abusive than hunger…… We must lift those
at the bottom so that poverty is erased from the dictionary of modern India.”
Government has been responding with a number of measures to overcome hunger and
malnutrition. Lately, as per the all-inclusive National Food Security Bill, 2011, introduced in the
Parliament in December 2011 and referred to its Standing Committee, the government proposes to
assist 67% of the total (rural and urban) households/people, comprising the poor, children,
pregnant/lactating mothers, aged, widows, destitutes, disabled, etc, with food and nutritional
subsidy/support in kind and cash. However, implementation of these measures leaves much to be
done and desired.
Besides, small holder agriculture merits to be promoted for food self-reliance, employment
and income generation, poverty reduction, hunger and malnutrition eradication, and distributive
justice.
Nevertheless, in a large and diverse country like India with a federal structure facing alarming
situation with regard to widespread hunger and malnutrition, it requires social will alongside political
will and well planned participatory massive decentralized efforts from top to bottom and bottom to
top by all the stakeholders – government, rural and urban local bodies, CSOs, private sector,
professional institutions, international organizations and donors to overcome the problem and
achieve ‘zero hunger and malnutrition’ rapidly, using optimally the National Alliance Against Hunger
and Malnutrition.