Hunger and Malnutrition in India

BBC News has an article today about a new report on hunger and malnutrition around the world released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). The article focuses on India, and concludes that the state of hunger in India is worse than that of 25 sub-Saharan African countries. Moreover, the situation in Madhya Pradesh is alarming enough to be comparable to those of Ethiopia and Chad.

Glancing at the complete table , its striking that even comparatively rich states like Maharasthra and Gujarat (leaders in terms of FDI) have a lower ranking than the DRC, Sudan, and Rwanda, all of which have had major civil conflicts in the past quarter of a century.

Given the dramatic reduction of poverty in China -- unequivocally the foremost boon to development in recent history -- on account of reforms made in the late 70's, it's startling to imagine what a difference 'inclusive growth' might mean for India over the next quarter of a century, and how a desperate situation stands to get that much worse if growth is limited to its present quarters.