India has many things to be ashamed of – entrenched corruption, pathetic basic infrastructure, frequent communal violence, abject poverty and chronic hunger of its many poor millions, to name just a few.
But nothing is more shameful than the growing number of chronically hungry or undernourished people in the country.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, India has the maximum number of chronically hungry people in the world.
For the 2003-2005 period, India had 230.5 million undernourished people. That’s nearly 31 million more than in the 1995-97 period.
This means that 21% of India’s 1.12 billion people were undernourished in 2003-2005, same as in the 1995-97 period, according to the FAO’s The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2008.
The FAO puts the total number of hungry people in the world at 923 million in 2007, significantly higher than the figure of 848 million in 2003-05.
Here’s an damning excerpt on India from the just released FAO Report:
After registering impressive gains between 1990–92 and the mid-1990s, progress in reducing hunger in India has stalled since about 1995–97. The high proportion of undernourished in India in the base period (24 percent) combined with a high population growth rate means that India has had a challenging task in reducing the number of undernourished.
The increase in the number of undernourished in India can be traced to a slowing in the growth (even a slight decline) in per capita dietary energy supply for human consumption since 1995–97. On the demand side, life expectancy in India has increased from 59 to 63 years since 1990–92. This has had an important impact on the overall change in population structure, with the result that in 2003–05 the growth in minimum dietary energy requirements had outpaced that of dietary energy supply.
The combination of the declining per capita growth rate in total dietary energy supply and higher per capita dietary energy requirements resulted in an estimated 24 million more undernourished people in India in 2003–05 compared with the base period [1990-92]. The increased food needs of the ageing population amount to about 6.5 million tonnes per year in cereal equivalent.
Did we hear some idiot say Mera Bharat Mahan.
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India is the number one in this regard. There are more number ones like this (highest malnutrition kids, highest child deaths due to it, highest child AIDS bearers.. ah list goes). Day-by-Day the rich are becoming richer and poor becoming poorer. This proportion is very dangerous for the civilization itself. The crime rates are going high due to poverty in India.
80% Indians wouldnt care to get angry about Mumbai terror attacks, because they have their hunger to fight with first.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: 80% Indians wouldnt care to get angry about Mumbai terror attacks, because they have their hunger to fight with first.
Interesting point.
I completely agree with joeantony….the many negative elements prevalent in India is responsible. Corruption, hoarding,etc….
Recently I happened to meet a retired Electricity board officer from India. He was telling about the way he would write up the estimates for installing an electric pole for the overhead transmission system found in most parts of India. If the total cost estimate came to 10,000INR, he would be forced(really????) to write 25,0000INR. The extra 15000INR would be divided among the many officers. Also the contractor for the work is chosen depending on the amount of bribe he pays!!!!!
Have seen these situations depicted in movies but to hear it from somebody who did it throughout his career was something really different. No job gets done unless you are ready to bribe. Pathetic situation.
And Bollywood has set out to save the planet and find a solution to global warming.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Yes, we read something about a concert.
We hope Bollywood works on a solution to fix the rampant plagiarism (of mostly Hollywood movies and occasionally other foreign movies as well) plaguing the industry.
Not surprised at all…… im an Indian, but sorry to say this- we have a bloody population crisis because we are basically horny people (it really shows when an Indian goes abroad and ogles at a foreign babe), so government has more than its hands full on dealing with these probs… to top that, the people who can make a difference i.e the government are greedy and corrupt ( besides being horny)…..so not surprised at all by this news… 🙁
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: it really shows when an Indian goes abroad and ogles at a foreign babe
Reminds us of the trip we made a million years back to Carpinteria nude beach near L.A. just to ogle at the girls. Sometimes, we desis can be awfully crude.
We (bunch of desis) were the only folks there with clothes.
The sight of a bevy of pretty white girls wearing nothing but their god-given attire and playing volleyball is a sight infinitely more desirable than a trip to Kashi to see Lord Vishwanath or the Ganges flowing by the Ghats.
You people are sick in the head.
i hope no one has ever given/ will give you morons dowry to marry his daughter.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Your warning comes too late. 😉
Is it all the bunch of Confused desi..& sons & daughters of different moms and dads here??!!
Actualy I wanted to say that this ratio has almost come as like the vijaykanth’s dailog..but to comment on this news is very easy f****** business…but what about the solution? who are we going to dig hole for solving all these issue? Is there any idea been cropped here or this is only play a blame game??
PS:This is my first time here and I find it quite awkward of seeing the comments…its almost politicians online here
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: but what about the solution?
Many of us do what we can.
Yes, we are aware that India’s hunger problems are too large to be solved by a few small donations.
2. You write: PS:This is my first time here and I find it quite awkward of seeing the comments…
Inshallah, it’ll be your last.
Learn to write a sentence in proper English & cut that pompous, preaching, sanctimonious attitude toward NRIs.
Vasan : f****** business…but what about the solution? … Is there any idea been cropped here or this is only play a blame game??
Ah, you told the same what you just did (blame game). Don’t be so stupid to spit on your own face.
Having said that, I am forced to propose a solution to this 🙂
True democracy is the only solution. The rulers should represent people and the pool of rulers should be rejuvenating all the time. You should read the interesting S.I. article on ‘Dynasty politics’ in india. This should end. Also the route to make it to politics should change. The recent election results in india showed a pattern of voting. Voters are casting their votes sensibly, things like development, track record of government, curruption and dicipline were the vote winners. Gone are the days of grabbing sympathy votes, communal votes, personality votes. I think now political parties would think of giving seats for public figures, industrialists, environmentalists, because that’s gonna increase the winning probability. These changes would have effect in changing the policies making the country efficient in using it resources and making the whole place better and in the process all these ugly things like poverty and hunger would be wiped out. I do believe that the positivity wave created by the Americans electing Obama would have a great change in the minds of voters all over the world.
Yes, we can.
joeantony : Thanks for your comment.I may need to be stupid in this search india to make you people to talk something valuable/positive/constructive.
I realy appreciate Joeantony!
joeantony
[Trash Talk]
adhathaana neenga pannikitreekenga
India’s problems are interrelated. As infrastructure improves, for example, it will be easier to do more effective work on the hunger front.
The task is still huge, but I think India is on the right track. I’m glad they re-elected Manmohan Singh…I’d rather have an economist known for competence and honesty than another BJP ideologue who is too busy creating new issues and problems to seriously address the old ones.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
To all those who blabber about the greatness of the BJP, we tell them just one word – Tehelka.
India’s infrastructure is improving but at a glacial pace.