A billion people are facing starvation!

If you are reading this post, I assume you would not have experienced starvation in your life. Certainly not prolonged starvation that has been forced on you by economic circumstances. But do you know how many people on this planet are facing starvation? Almost a billion! 😯 That is nearly one-sixth of the entire human population. Yes, one in every six humans is starving! 😦 In a damning report released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in conjunction with Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide, thirty-three countries around the world have “alarming” or “extremely alarming” levels of hunger, according to the 2008 Global Hunger Index. The organisation warned against neglecting the fate of starving people amidst the current financial crisis. “Nearly one billion starving people are a scandal for humanity,” Welthungerhilfe head Ingeborg Schaeuble said. “In contrast to the banks, they are not to blame for their misery.”

Hunger is a shame on humanity . . .

Image: http://www.chinapost.com.tw

The problem of hunger is measured in five categories – low, moderate, serious, alarming or extremely alarming. Countries that fall in the low category have an index of less than 5, a score between 5 and 10 is classified as moderate, a score between 10 and 20 is serious, a score between 20 and 30 is alarming and an index of over 30 is extremely alarming.

Among the 88 countries that do not fall in the low category, 33 countries around the world have alarming or extremely alarming levels of hunger and the majority of them are in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Here is the list of countries that do not fall in the low category . . .

Source: IFPRI, BBC; n/a – data not available, * – data not reliable

India fares very poorly in the list and is ranked 66th in the list of 88 countries 😦 In other words, India is the 23rd most hungry country in the world. Though the score has improved, India is ranked better than only Bangladesh in South Asia. What is shocking is the fact that 200 million people in India suffer from hunger! 😯

List of Indian states (only large ones) by hunger . . .

Image: http://news.bbc.co.uk

In four Indian states the problem is classified as serious, twelve Indian states have alarming levels of hunger while the situation is extremely alarming in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

The report says “improving child nutrition is of utmost urgency in most Indian states”.

“All states also need to improve strategies to facilitate inclusive economic growth, ensure food sufficiency and reduce child mortality,” it adds.

Clearly, India needs to tackle the problem of hunger on a war-footing if it wants to make any progress. Shamefully, most of the Indian “mainstream media” loves to hate the poor as well as those dare to speak up for them or highlight their plight as it would expose their cheap and sordid yellow journalism. Instead of acting as responsible citizens in a democracy, most of those in the “mainstream media” are preoccupied with the sensational reporting of the most trivial issues. Shame on them!