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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Despite economic growth, India still a top home for childhood hunger by Katy Daigle

Despite economic growth, India still a top home for childhood hunger by Katy Daigle

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published Published on Oct 15, 2010   modified Modified on Oct 15, 2010

India, a global breadbasket with economic growth that rivals China's, is still home to 42 per cent of the world's underweight children.

The stark statistic, released by the Washington-based Food Policy Institute ahead of World Food Day on Saturday, stands in contrast to the country's burgeoning economy and hopes of boosting its global stature as exemplified by its hosting of this year's Commonwealth Games.

"We need to be asking ourselves, what or who is this economic growth for?" said ActionAid India director Sandeep Chachra on Thursday. "Do we want to create a shining India that looks good in the city centres but with large populations in extreme deprivation, even starvation?"

With rocketing economic growth at nearly 9 per cent, and as one of the world's top producers of wheat, potatoes and many other foods, many observers argue it should be easy for India to give back to its own poor.

However, the report from the Food Policy Institute puts India among the worst hunger sufferers, ranking 67th out of 84 countries on its Global Hunger Index — down two spots from last year's list. China, by comparison, was well ahead at No. 9 and Pakistan was No. 52. That report compared statistics on countries' underweight children and child mortality rates.

Another report on Wednesday noted that, among the Commonwealth of 54 former British colonies that competed in this month's Delhi games, India ranked worst in terms of child hunger, with 43 per cent of its children underweight compared with 31 per cent in Pakistan and 23 per cent in Nigeria. Those numbers, offered by the Save the Children organization, cited 2009 data from UNICEF.

"India needs to walk the walk, not just give the talk," Chachra said. "Our economic growth is based on a model that favours the few."

That many people in India are underfed "is not something the world does not know," Dr. Rajiv Tandon, of Save the Children in India. But improving nutrition and food distribution will require getting authorities in agriculture, health care, education and women's empowerment to co-operate.

"It will need humility. They have to give a little, take a little ... and stop wasting resources," he said.


The Canadian Press, 15 October, 2010, http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jyDFWaAsSeVEg86XyDZb8YIiPbqw?docId=4846114


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