Adhir Chowdhury hits out at BJP govt over India's dip in Hunger Index ranking

Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury on Sunday slammed the Central government over India slipping to 101st position in the Global Hunger Index (GHI). "It is shocking and ignominious to note that India ranks 101 out of 116 countries in the list," he said.

Hyderabad: Congress Parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Chowdhury on Sunday hit out at the Narendra Modi led-BJP government over India's poor ranking in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) this year and termed it "shocking and ignominious."

Taking to Twitter, Adhir said, "it is shocking and ignominious to note that India ranks 101 out of 116 countries in the list of #GlobalHungerIndex2021."

Adhir Chowdhury's tweet

"It is also equally egregious to note tht the govt has been stubbornly denying the crude reality of the pathetic state of poverty & starvation of the #NewIndia of @BJP4India. I am afraid of the fact tht the @FAO would have tagged as #antinational, & #antiindian, if not #AntiModi," he said in another tweet.

India slipped to 101st rank in the GHI 2021, out of 116 countries, and is now behind Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The country ranked 94th position in GHI in 2020.

Congress leaders have been slamming the BJP government after the 2021 GHI report was released earlier this week. Taking a dig at the Modi government, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal tweeted, "Congratulations Modi ji for eradicating: 1) poverty 2) hunger 3) making India a global power 4) for our digital economy 5)...so much more. Global Hunger Index: 2020: India ranked 94. 2021: India ranks 101."

Sibal's tweet

"India slips to 101 in #GlobalHungerIndex2021 from previous 94. Now we r way behind our neighbours #Bangladesh, #Nepal, and #Pakistan. Our new competitors are Afghanistan (103), Nigeria (103), Papua New Guinea (102), Congo (105), etc. Thank You, Modiji," tweeted top lawyer and Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi.

Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said, "India in Global Hunger Index has fallen behind Nepal & Pakistan, from rank 55 in 2014 to 101 in 2021. UPA's efforts to eliminate hunger, especially 'Right to Food' act, have been diluted and the poor have been left to fend for themselves. GOI needs to correct its failures soon."

The Centre, however, termed the methodology used for rankings "unscientific". The Women and Child Development Ministry, in a statement, said that it was "shocking" to find India's rank was lowered on the Global Hunger Index on the basis of FAO estimate on proportion of undernourished population which is found to be "devoid of ground reality and facts and suffers from serious methodological issues."