Global Hunger Index report irresponsible, mischievous: RSS body demands action against publishers
New Delhi, Oct 16: The Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) on Sunday termed the 2022 Global Hunger Index report "irresponsible and mischievous" and urged the Union government to take action against its publishers for "defaming" India.
India was ranked 107 out of 121 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2022, much behind its South Asia neighbours, with the child wasting rate at 19.3 per cent, the highest in the world.
The report was recently released by the Concern Worldwide and Welt Hunger Hilfe, non-government organisations from Ireland and Germany respectively.
"The German non-governmental organization Welt Hunger Hilfe has once again released the ranking of 121 countries based on the World Hunger Index, prepared in a very irresponsible way to defame India," the SJM, an RSS affiliate, said, reacting to the report.
"Far from reality, this report is not only faulty but also ridiculous not only from the point of view of data, but also from the point of view of analysis and methodology. Earlier in October last year, India was ranked 101 in the list of 116 countries," it added.
The SJM asserted that India had firmly opposed Global Hunger Index released last year in October, and had questioned the data and methodology used in evaluation of the country.
"The World Food Organization (FAO) had then said these errors would be corrected. But once again using the same wrong data and methodology, this year's report has been released," the RSS affiliate said.
The 2022 Global Hunger Index makes malafide intention of its publishers clear, it charged.
"Swadeshi Jagran Manch once again expresses its anguish against this report and urges upon the government to reject this report and take appropriate action against the organisations, which is defaming India by spreading falsehood about India's food security," SJM said in a statement.
On Saturday, the Centre rejected the report's findings, alleging it is an effort to taint the country's image and the index suffers from serious methodological issues and is an "erroneous measure" of hunger.
As the report kicked a minor storm, the Opposition leaders said the government must take responsibility for its "failure".
SJM co-convenor Ashwani Mahajan said India is not only self-sufficient in food grains and other food products today but it is also a net exporting country.
The total food grain production in India in the year 2021-22 is 3,160 lakh tonnes, which is 227 kg per capita, he said.
He said the Union government has been running the world's largest food security programme, in which not only free food, but grains and pulses too are being distributed to 80 crore countrymen for the last 28 months.
Besides, supplementary nutrition has also been provided to about 7.71 crore children and 1.78 crore pregnant women and lactating mothers under Anganwadi services, by 14 lakh Anganwadis, he said.
"The Global Hunger Index report is completely unusable for academics and seems to be an attempt to defame some developing countries including India and their leadership. The report looks more like a political stunt," Mahajan said.
The need of the hour is that such false reports should be "thoroughly exposed" and "true data" be presented based on ground reality, "free from the juggling of statistics", he added.
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TN Assembly elections: Eight-month pregnant homemaker wins Thiru Vi Ka Nagar seat for TVK
Chennai (PTI): Before giving birth, she had already delivered a mandate—a symbol of hope for Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.
Echoing Delhi’s 2013 “common citizen” political churn associated with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an eight-month-pregnant homemaker, M R Pallavi, has been elected as an MLA from Chennai’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency, emerging as one of the notable first-time faces of the Vijay-led TVK in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
In the narrow lanes of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, a steady stream of media personnel has been making their way to Pallavi’s residence—a scene reminiscent of the result day in Delhi when journalists thronged the modest home of Rakhi Birla, who had won from Mangolpuri on an AAP ticket.
Pallavi, 36, a homemaker educated up to class XII, defeated the DMK candidate K S Ravichandran by a margin of 22,333 votes in the reserved Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Assembly constituency.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK got 59 and 47, respectively.
Pallavi’s victory has drawn attention due to her personal circumstances. She campaigned extensively while eight months pregnant, going door-to-door to reach voters.
According to local accounts, she even fainted once during the campaign but continued her outreach.
She has not spoken to the media following her victory, as doctors have advised her to rest. Her husband, Rajesh, briefly recounted her campaign efforts.
A self-professed admirer of actor-turned-politician Vijay, Pallavi joined TVK soon after its formation and is now among its first-time legislators.
Doctors have advised her to be hospitalised around May 20, as she is expecting her second child. Ahead of that, voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have entrusted her with representing them in the state Assembly.
Political observers say the rise of candidates like Pallavi signals a possible shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with voters backing a new party and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.
