PHM-Exch> It's official: The most number of hungry people live in India- Subir Ghosh

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Kamayani <kamayni at gmail.com>


For those still high after the "spectacular" Opening Ceremony of the
Commonwealth Games, there's something that ought to bring them down a
peg or two — India is Number One in the world in terms of the number
of hungry people. And that would be 237.7 million at the last count.

Proud moment for us all. No?

The sobering number comes from The State of Food Insecurity in the
World report released by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the
United Nations (FAO) on Wednesday. The study is a collaboration with
the World Food Programme (WFP). And it is quite biased too. All it
does is look at 22 countries that are suffering chronic hunger or
difficulty finding enough to eat as a result of protracted food
crises. Their total is only 166 million.

This is one area where India is way ahead of its arch rival China. The
latter is no match at all. The number of undernourished people in that
country is only 130.4 million. That's almost half, for heaven's sake.
Proud moment for all Indians — we beat those Chinkies half way down.

About 21 per cent of India's population is undernourished. Looking at
it in a different way, that would mean one out of every five. And here
too we beat China handsomely. The percentage of China's undernourished
segment is only 10 percent of its population. Whether India shines or
whines, who cares. We are ahead of China. And that's what that
matters.

India is also great in many other ways. This 237.7 million count is
more than the total population of so many countries — including
Brazil.

One also understands that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
government is doing its best in this regard. Like letting foodgrains
rot in Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns, for instance. Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh's heart beats and bleeds for all the right
kind of people — those who are not bloody poor.

To wind up, India also happens to be home to 28 per cent of the
world's total undernourished population of 847.5 million. The poor and
hungry are of no use. They only make good subject material for chroniclers.

Enough of disquieting figures there. Let's get back to the Games. More
proud moments for us waiting there.


http://www.write2kill.in/critiques/development/443.html
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