UN: Record number of people without enough to eat in 2021
Rome(AP): The United Nations has said that the number of people without enough to eat on a daily basis reached an all-time high last year and is poised to hit "appalling" new levels as the Ukraine war affects global food production.
Almost 193 million people in 53 countries suffered acute food insecurity in 2021 due to what the UN on Wednesday said was a "toxic triple combination" of conflict, weather extremes and the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The UN said the total number of people without adequate food every day increased by 40 million last year, confirming a "worrisome trend" of annual increases over several years.
The figures appeared in the Global Report on Food Crisis, which is produced jointly by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, the World Food Programme and the European Union.
Countries experiencing protracted conflicts, including Afghanistan, Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, had the most food-insecure populations, according to the report.
The report forecasts that Somalia will face one of the world's worst food crises in 2022 due to prolonged drought, increasing food prices and persistent violence. The various factors could lead 6 million Somalis into acute food crisis, the UN said.
"Today, if more is not done to support rural communities, the scale of the devastation in terms of hunger and lost livelihoods will be appalling," the UN said. "Urgent humanitarian action is needed on a massive scale to prevent that from happening."
The war in Ukraine poses further risks for Somalia and many other African countries that rely on Ukraine and Russia for wheat, fertilizer and other food supplies.
WFP's Chief Economist Arif Husain said the UN food agency projects that an additional 47 million people will become food insecure "in crisis or worse situation" because of the war in Ukraine as a result of higher food and fuel prices and inflation.
Even before the war, people were dealing with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced incomes, and food prices were at a 10-year high and fuel prices were at a seven-year high, he told reporters at UN headquarters in New York at a virtual press conference launching the report.
"This crisis is potentially more fuel on a fire which was already lit and burning up," Husain said.
The United Nations previously said the war was helping to send prices for commodities such as grains and vegetable oils to record highs, threatening millions with hunger and malnourishment.
"When we look at the consequences of what's happening as a result of the war in Ukraine, there is real cause for concern of how this will amplify the acute food needs that exist in these food crisis countries," said Rein Paulsen, director of the Food and Agriculture Organisation's office of emergencies and resilience.
He told the virtual UN briefing that the percentage of the population analysed in the report who are in acute food insecurity has gone up from just over 11 per cent in 2016 to just over 22 per cent in 2021.
At the same time, Paulsen said, funding to help them has dropped, which is a huge concern. In 2021 USD 8.1 billion was available for emergency work, a 25 per cent drop from 2017, he said.
The report called for greater investment in agriculture and appealed for USD 1.5 billion to help farmers in at-risk regions with the upcoming planting season to help stabilise and increase local food production.
WFP's Husain said his message to rich nations in the G7 and G20 is that food insecurity and hunger around the world are "exploding" and "if we don't address these issues we end up paying frankly thousand times more just a few years down the road." He said the world has seen this happen with the Syrian war and outpouring to Europe, with Afghanistan, and with Central Americans and Haitians trying to enter the U.S.
FAO's Paulsen said his message to donor nations is: "We need to put the same energy collectively that we put into addressing the COVID-19 pandemic into addressing acute hunger. ... It's about political will and focus."
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Karnataka cabinet decides to increase bus fare by 15 per cent
Bengaluru, Jan 2: The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday decided to increase the bus fares in the state-owned transport corporations by 15 per cent.
The decision was taken in view of the substantial hike in operational costs such as increase in spending on fuel prices and staff, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said.
The opposition BJP lashed out at the Congress government in the state over its decision to hike bus fares.
Addressing reporters here, Patil said the decision will come into effect from January 5.
The move is expected to generate Rs 74.85 crore monthly and about Rs 784 crore annually.
“The cabinet has decided to revise the bus fare of the four state transport corporations -- KSRTC, NWKRTC, KKRTC and BMTC by 15 per cent,” he said.
According to Patil, the BMTC bus fares were increased on January 10, 2015 when the diesel prices were Rs 60.90 per litre.
“The daily diesel consumption was Rs 9.16 crore 10 years ago by the four corporations, which has now increased to Rs 13.21 crore. The expenditure on staff in these four corporations was Rs 12.95 crore daily, which has increased to Rs 18.36 crore daily. Hence the revision was necessary,” he said justifying the hike.
The Minister also underlined that 'Shakti' guarantee will continue.
Shakti offers free ride for Karnataka women in state-owned non-luxury buses across the state.
In the current fiscal, Rs 5,015 crore has been earmarked for the 'Shakti' scheme, the Minister explained.
Patil said, “Every month the state government is releasing Rs 417.92 crore grant to these four corporations. This will not be a burden on the state finance.”
He added, “With the hike in bus fares across all the categories of bus services, neither the transport corporations will go bankrupt, nor government exchequer will go empty. Mind you, we are the best state in terms of managing finances.”
Patil also said the state government has cleared all the provident fund dues to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore.
Regarding the decision he said, “We discussed about hike between 13 per cent and 15 per cent and the cabinet arrived at a decision of 15 per cent looking at the prices prevailing in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra. After the rise of 15 per cent, we will be lesser than any of these states.”
In a post on X, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said, "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, with what face do you boast that you have given the five guarantee schemes to the people of the state? By failing to provide money for the Shakti Yojana, you have caused the transport company to tread the path of loss."
He said by increasing the bus fare by 15 per cent, the government line is that the bus travel is free for women, but it will definitely be a burden for men.
"The decision of the Congress government in Karnataka to increase the transport fare by 15 per cent is unscientific and anti-people and the BJP will raise its voice against this and support the people.
ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ @siddaramaiah ನವರೇ,
— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (@BYVijayendra) January 2, 2025
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ಶಕ್ತಿ ಯೋಜನೆಗೆ ಹಣ ಒದಗಿಸಲು ವಿಫಲವಾಗಿರುವ ನೀವು ಸಾರಿಗೆ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯು ನಷ್ಟದ ಹಾದಿಯನ್ನು ತುಳಿಯಲು ಕಾರಣರಾಗಿದ್ದೀರಿ.
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