India’s Slide In Global Hunger Index Not Based On Opinion Poll: German NGO

New Delhi: German NGO and co-publisher of the Global Hunger Index (GHI) — Welthungerhilfe (WHH) — has refuted India’s claim that its fall in GHI ranking was based on an opinion poll conducted by Gallup.

The Indian government made the allegation on Friday after India’s ranking dipped seven places in the GHI report released last week.

Among the 116 countries, India ranks at 101 — behind all neighbours except Afghanistan. India dropped from the 94th position among 107 countries taken into consideration in 2020.

According to WHH, a Gallup opinion poll is not used by GHI, instead, undernourishment is measured using data officially presented by India to the United Nations.

“Global Hunger Index uses only a ‘prevalence of undernourishment’ indicator… obtained through carefully constructed food balance sheets which are primarily based on data officially reported by the member countries including India,” Global Hunger Index Advisor, Miriam Weimers was quoted as saying by NDTV.

The UN said that the Food Balance Sheets “present a comprehensive picture of the pattern of a country’s food supply” by noting each commodity’s sources of supply and utilisation.

India’s case was decided by the “extraordinarily high child wasting rate, which reflects deeper underlying issues such as child health, sanitation and hygiene, the health and empowerment of women,” Weimers said.

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