India’ prevalence of hunger has declined from 16.6% in triennium ending 2022 to 13.7% in 2023, according to revision in United Nations agencies report on the state of food security and nutrition (SOFI), Ramesh Chand, member, Niti Aayog said.

The prevalence of hunger in India has decreased from 233.9 million for 2020-22 to 194.6 million by 2021-23 in India which implies that 39.3 million people have come out of hunger in India in one year, the latest SOFI has stated.

“This can be attributed to improved data made available to UN agencies by India,” Chand told FE adding that with reduction in hunger level, the goal of achieving zero hunger level by 2030 is likely to be achieved.

Earlier, the SOFI report, 2024 prepared by five agencies of the United Nations- Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UNICEF, World Food Programme (WFP), and World Health Organisation (WHO), had note that incidence of hunger in India has increased during COVID19 pandemic.

In response to the earlier SOFI report, agriculture drew the attention of FAO that data for assessing hunger level relied from 2011-12 and an agriculture ministry committee headed by Chand stated that despite COVID19, India’s foodgrains production was adversely impacted and rose sharply during the last couple of years.

The agriculture ministry also shared the recent household consumption expenditure survey, 2022-23 with the UN body which has revised its estimate on the prevalence of hunger in India in a recent G-20 meeting held on July 24 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The government had provided an additional 5 kg of rice to 800 million monthly under free ration scheme in addition to highly subsidised 5 kg of foodgrains supplied under National Food Security Act during April, 2022 to December 2023 with few months of interruption. Around 100 million tonne (MT) of rice and wheat was supplied under free ration scheme.

Currently free foodgrain of 5 kg is supplied to 800 million people monthly under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana and the scheme has been extended for five years till 2028.

Global prevalence of undernourishment persisted at pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels for the third consecutive year, with one in 11 people facing hunger globally in 2023, the latest SOFI report published recently has stated. Between 713 and 757 million people may have faced hunger in 2023, the report stated.

In 2023, around 2.33 billion people globally faced moderate to severe food insecurity, a number that has not changed significantly since the sharp upturn in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 864 million people experienced severe food insecurity, going without food for an entire day or more at times, the report has stated.