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NEWS ALERTS | Evidence lacking for India's MDG accomplishment on hunger
Evidence lacking for India's MDG accomplishment on hunger

Evidence lacking for India's MDG accomplishment on hunger

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published Published on Feb 22, 2016   modified Modified on May 7, 2019

Although there is sufficient data and evidence available in the public domain to argue whether there has been halving of poverty between 1990 and 2015, the same cannot be said with conviction about the halving of hunger—one of the targets set under the erstwhile Millennium Development Goals framework (replaced recently by SDGs).

This is because the recently released data by the National Family Health Survey-4 (conducted in 2015-16) and the District-level Household and Facility Survey-4 (conducted in 2012-13) have not given any information for the indicator 'proportion of underweight children below 3 years'.

Even the Rapid Survey on Children (conducted in 2013-14), who’s alleged late release by the Government created much hue and cry in the media, has not given information for the same indicator.

All the above-mentioned surveys, namely the NFHS-4, DLHS-4 and the RSOC have given information for the indicators to measure nutritional status of children below 5 years, viz. wasting (i.e. too thin for height), stunting (i.e. too short for age) and underweight (i.e. too thin for age) but not for children below 3 years.

The first three rounds of the National Family Health Survey, viz. NFHS-1 (conducted in 1992-93), NFHS-2 (conducted in 1998-99) and NFHS-3 (conducted in 2005-06) had provided information for the indicator 'proportion of underweight children below 3 years' (and also for children below 5 years).  

As per the India Country Report 2015 on MDGs (released by MoSPI), the previous rounds of National Family Health Survey shows that the 'proportion of underweight children below 3 years' has declined by 3 percentage points during 1998-99 to 2005-06, from about 43 percent to about 40 percent. Based on this historical trend of decline, it is expected by the Government that the 'proportion of underweight children below 3 years' will come down to about 33 percent only by 2015 vis-à-vis the target value of 26 percent.

Therefore, it is not yet clear from official statistics that exactly what ‘proportion of underweight children below 3 years’ lived in India during 2015.

Indicator to measure the target of hunger reduction under MDGs

In the absence of data for the indicator 'proportion of population below minimum level of dietary energy consumption', the other indicator that has been used officially in India so as to track its achievement of Target 2 of the MDGs is 'proportion of underweight children below 3 years' (please click here to access the India Country Report 2015 on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), prepared by MoSPI).

The Target 2 of the MDGs, as mentioned above, is to halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger (see the chart on MDGs below).

Chart 1: MDGs and Targets--Summary of Progress achieved by India
 
MDG chart
 
Source: Chapter 45: Millennium Development Goals in Statistical Year Book (India) 2016, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, please click here to access


It is worth mentioning that when the MDGs came into being in the year 2000, eighteen targets were set as quantitative benchmarks for attaining the eight goals. The United Nations Development Group (UNDG) during 2003 provided a framework of 53 indicators (48 basic + 5 alternative) which were categorized according to targets, for measuring the progress towards individual targets.

India’s MDG framework is based on UNDG’s MDG 2003 framework, and it includes all the eight goals, 12 out of the 18 Targets (Targets 1 to 11 & 18) which are relevant for India and related 35 indicators.

As per the Statistical Yearbook of India 2016, the country's MDG-framework has been contextualized through a concordance with the existing official indicators of corresponding dimensions in the national statistical system. These 12 targets and 35 indicators under the 8 Goals constituted the instrument for statistical tracking of the MDGs in India.

The eight MDGs are:

Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality
Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB
Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
Goal 8: Develop Global Partnership for Development

District-level NFHS-4 data

The Government has recently released the district-level (apart from the state-level figures) NFHS-4 data for 13 states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand & West Bengal, and two Union Territories (UTs) of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry.

The district-level factsheets of NFHS-4 gives information on the indicators to measure nutritional status of children below 5 years, viz. wasting (i.e. too thin for height), stunting (i.e. too short for age) and underweight (i.e. too thin for age) but not for children below 3 years.

District-level DLHS-4 data

The Government has recently released the district-level (apart from the state-level figures) DLHS-4 data for 18 states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharasthra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura and West Bengal, and also for 3 UTs of Andaman and Nicobar, Chandigarh and Puducherry.

Although the district-level DLHS-4 factsheets have not provided information on the indicators to measure nutritional status of children below 5 years, viz. wasting, stunting and underweight, the state-level factsheets provide information on the same indicators.

The DLHS-4 district-level factsheets have provided information on other indicators such as proportion of children suffering from anaemia (for various age-groups), percentage of children weighed at birth, proportion of children aged 0-5 months who are exclusively breastfed etc.

References:

District Level Household and Facility Survey-4 (2012-13), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, https://nrhm-mis.nic.in/SitePages/DLHS-4.aspx

National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and International Institute of Population Sciences, http://rchiips.org/nfhs/factsheet_NFHS-4.shtml

National Family Health Survey-3 (2005-06), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and International Institute of Population Sciences, http://rchiips.org/nfhs/report.shtml

Statistical Year Book (India) 2016, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, please click here to access

Chapter 45: Millennium Development Goals in Statistical Year Book (India) 2016, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, please click here to access

MDG India Country Report 2015, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, please click here to access

India Health Report: Nutrition 2015 by Public Health Foundation of India, Transform Nutrition and UK Aid, please click here to access
 
Rapid Survey on Children 2013-14 (provisional data), Ministry of Women and Child Development, please click here to access
 
One-third of West Bengal kids stunted & underweight, informs NFHS-4, please click here to access
 
Doubts over Maharashtra's Nutritional Progress? please click here to access

IFPRI report shows under-nutrition has fallen, please click here to access

Child Malnutrition declining, though not fast enough, please click here to access

MDGs: A neglected agenda for inclusiveness, please click here to access

India's MDG Score Card: Glass Half Full or Half Empty?, please click here to access

Suppression of Child Malnutrition Survey Data to Shield Gujarat -Amit Sengupta, Newsclick.in, 9 July, 2015, please click here to access

Image Courtesy: UNDP India


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