Synopsis
The BJP asserts that the NFHS-5 data is a more trustworthy measure of India's food security than the Global Hunger Index, which they claim is flawed and politically motivated. They emphasize significant improvements in nutrition levels and criticize the Congress for relying on outdated and unreliable data.Key Takeaways
- NFHS-5 is a comprehensive survey of 6.37 lakh households.
- The GHI is criticized for its flawed methodology.
- Significant improvements in childhood nutrition are noted in NFHS-5.
- BJP highlights the government's initiatives for food security.
- Congress has not conducted a nutrition survey for a decade.
New Delhi, Feb 8 (NationPress) The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) -5 (2019-21) is deemed more scientific and reliable for evaluating India’s food security advancements compared to the Global Hunger Index (GHI), which the Congress tends to favor, asserted the BJP on Saturday.
In a detailed factsheet, the BJP debunked the Congress' assertions that India’s standing is deteriorating according to the GHI, which ranks India 105th out of 127 countries in 2024.
“Relying on flawed data to question India’s food security is not only misleading but also an intentional distortion of facts,” stated the BJP.
Experts have criticized the GHI for its inadequate methodology, with a 2015 Public Health study cautioning that it oversimplifies the measurement of hunger and fails to depict actual food availability.
A study published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR) in 2021 explicitly noted that the GHI does not truly measure hunger, but instead uses indirect indicators such as child mortality, which can be affected by various factors aside from food access.
“The GHI does not evaluate food intake, production, or distribution, rendering it an unreliable and misleading measure of hunger levels in India,” the BJP emphasized, pointing out that it is based on an unrepresentative survey of merely 3,000 individuals to assess hunger in a nation of 1.4 billion, thus making its conclusions “highly unreliable.”
In contrast, the NFHS-5, executed by the Modi Government, gathered data from 6.37 lakh households across 707 districts in 28 states and 8 Union Territories, making it one of the most credible nutrition surveys globally.
“The Congress disregards this scientifically rigorous data and instead promotes a flawed Western index for political advantage,” the BJP remarked.
It highlighted that the government led by PM Narendra Modi has made remarkable progress in enhancing nutrition levels through initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and Poshan Abhiyaan.
“According to the NFHS-5 (2019-21) data, there are notable improvements in childhood nutrition, countering the misleading narrative propagated by the Congress,” stated the BJP.
The data indicated a reduction in stunting from 38.4% to 35.5%, a decline in wasting from 21.0% to 19.3%, and a drop in underweight prevalence from 35.8% to 32.1%, demonstrating consistent progress in combating malnutrition.
The BJP pointed out, “The Congress failed to perform an NFH Survey for an entire decade, raising serious doubts about its dedication to tackling India’s nutrition issues.”
Moreover, the factsheet questioned the calculations behind the GHI, which is based on a limited sample of just 3,000 individuals.
“Several countries ranked above India in the 2024 GHI, like Belarus (28th) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (34th), have significantly smaller populations, thus facing less complexity in addressing hunger. They also have access to more concentrated resources,” noted the BJP.
The GHI also positions Pakistan, grappling with major humanitarian crises and food insecurity, higher than India. The factsheet highlighted that the GHI report utilizes outdated information from global organizations such as the World Health Organisation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
“India, similar to many nations, has been experiencing substantial enhancements in food security through government initiatives such as the National Food Security Act, the Midday Meal Scheme, and reforms in the public distribution system. Nevertheless, these efforts appear to be inadequately represented in the data used for the GHI,” concluded the BJP.
