NFHS-5 data more scientific, reliable than flawed Global Hunger Index: BJP

New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS) The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) -5 (2019-21) is more scientific and reliable for assessing India’s food security progress than the flawed Global Hunger Index (GHI), which is more trusted by the Congress, said the BJP on Saturday.

In a factsheet, the BJP busted the false claims made by the Congress citing the GHI index that India’s position has steadily worsened on the global index to measure hunger. In 2024, India ranked 105th out of 127 countries.

“Using the flawed data to question India’s food security progress is not only inaccurate but also a deliberate misrepresentation of facts,” said the BJP.

Experts have discredited the GHI for its flawed methodology, with a 2015 Public Health study warning that it oversimplifies hunger measurement and does not reflect actual food availability.

A 2021 Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR) study explicitly stated that GHI does not measure hunger at all, but instead relies on indirect indicators like child mortality, which are influenced by multiple factors beyond food access.

“GHI does not assess food intake, production, or distribution, making it an unreliable and misleading indicator of actual hunger levels in India,” the BJP said, adding that it relies on an unrepresentative opinion poll of just 3,000 people to assess hunger levels in a country of 1.4 billion. This makes GHI’s findings “highly unreliable”, the BJP said.

In contrast, NFHS-5, conducted by the Modi Government, surveyed 6.37 lakh households across 707 districts in 28 states and 8 UTs, making it one of the most credible nutrition surveys globally.

“Congress ignores this scientifically rigorous dataset and instead amplifies a flawed Western index, distorting India’s progress for political gain,” the BJP said.

It noted that the PM Narendra Modi-led government has made significant strides in improving nutrition levels, with Initiatives like Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and Poshan Abhiyaan.

“NFHS-5 (2019-21) data shows significant improvements in childhood nutrition, contradicting the misleading narrative pushed by Congress,” BJP said.

It showed that stunting in the country has reduced from 38.4 per cent to 35.5 per cent, wasting has declined from 21.0 per cent to 19.3 per cent, and underweight prevalence has dropped from 35.8 per cent to 32.1 per cent, proving steady progress in tackling malnutrition.

Notably, the BJP said that “Congress failed to conduct an NFH Survey for an entire decade, raising serious questions about its commitment to addressing India’s nutrition challenges”.

Further, the factsheet also questioned the calculations made in the GHI, which is based on a small sample size of just 3,000 individuals.

“Some of the countries ranked above India in the 2024 GHI, such as Belarus (ranked 28th) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (ranked 34th), have populations far smaller than India’s, and thus face less complexity in tackling hunger. They also benefit from more concentrated resources,” the BJP noted.

The GHI also places Pakistan, dealing with significant humanitarian crises and food insecurity, higher than India. The factsheet pointed out that the GHI report uses outdated data from global sources such as the World Health Organisation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

“India, like many countries, has been undergoing significant improvements in food security through government initiatives such as the National Food Security Act, the Midday Meal Scheme, and public distribution system reforms. However, these efforts do not seem to be adequately represented in the data used for the GHI,” the BJP said.

–IANS

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