In India, a hunger crisis still persists

MUMBAI » Even as the number of coronavirus cases has diminished, another crisis has unfolded in homes across the country: with high unemployment and a record contraction in the economy following two nationwide lockdowns, families have lost both their purchasing power and savings and can now scarcely afford three meals a day.

There are no nationwide numbers on the state of food insecurity in India, but recent studies point to an alarming problem. In the 2021 Global Hunger Index, India ranked 101st of the 116 countries surveyed, falling seven spots from the previous year. In a separate 2020 survey by Azim Premji University, 90 percent of respondents reported a reduction in food intake due to the lockdown.