Hunger is a common physiological phenomenon. It is measured by the prevalence of undernourishment i.e. an individual’s habitual consumption of inadequate food.

Hunger is a common physiological phenomenon. It is measured by the prevalence of undernourishment i.e. an individual’s habitual consumption of inadequate food. The disturbing feature is that

13 per cent of India’s population, i.e. about 19 crore people, goes to bed every night with unfilled stomachs. Poverty and inequality can be identified as the chief causes for a person’s

inability to procure sufficient quantity of nutritious food. Absence of essential nutritional elements in food results in deterioration of physical growth and health conditions.

The existence of large numbers of hungry people for a long time in society must have an impact on the economy of the nation. The presence of these hungry men and women in society cannot be

recognized distinctly. However, their numbers can only be assessed with various estimations and research analysis. The number of people undernourished in India has gradually decreased over

the years but at a slow pace. The concern is the considerable extent of human resources and talents that are continuously being wasted. Hunger limits human development.

The World Bank suggests that to monitor progress and understand better ways to reduce poverty, it is important to measure poverty regularly. The mission is to end extreme poverty and boost

shared prosperity on a liveable planet. The international extreme poverty line is set by the World Bank at $2.15 (Rs 181) per person per day at 2017 prices. SBI Research defines a new

estimated poverty line in India in 2023- 24 at income levels of Rs 54 per day for rural areas and Rs 65 per day for urban areas. Both these amounts are abysmally low and cannot fulfil the

basic needs of an adult person.

However, this basis presents a rosier picture of poverty. SBI projects only 5 per cent, i.e. seven crore people, are now living below the poverty line. The poverty line in India is also

considered by daily consumption expenditure. It is based on the idea that what people actually spend or consume is a better measure of their well-being than just their income. SBI Research

shows monthly average per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) for 2023-24 stands at Rs 4,122 for rural areas and Rs 6,996 for urban areas. This translates into daily expenditure of Rs 137

and Rs 233 respectively. Still, living on these amounts is a real challenge. There are several opinions, ways and methods of computing the poverty line among scholars. It is worth noting

that no single measure captures the full complexity of poverty, and different methods may yield different results. Even if the number of people under the poverty line decreases over time, it

does not necessarily mean that the rest of the people are economically sound and can afford sufficient nutritious food.

There are different magnitudes of poverty – each signifying certain economic features. However, an accurate measure of poverty is necessary to have a comprehensive policy for poverty

alleviation. The economy produces sufficient food grains to feed every citizen. Economic growth has also reached an admirably high peak. But despite all these, the extremely poor people do

not have economic access to an adequate diet with full nutritional requirement. The Government has to take responsibility to feed its more than 50 per cent citizens. This implies that fruits

of economic development are not shared equitably. There is large scale poverty and inequality.

The Central government will provide free foodgrains to about 81.35 crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for a period of five years with effect from

1 January 2024 at an estimated cost of Rs. 11.80 lakh crore. The Government emphasises that this PMGKAY scheme ‘will strengthen food security and mitigate financial hardships of the poor and

vulnerable sections of the population.’ However, the number of beneficiaries under this scheme well surpasses the number of people living below the poverty line. This suggests that a large

number of people living above the poverty line are still poor and vulnerable. The Global Hunger Index (GHI) every year assesses status of hunger among people in countries. It allots a GHI

score for each country.

The GHI score, a measuring tool to determine a comprehensive hunger status is based on four components: 1. Undernourishment 2. Child Stunting 3. Child Wasting and 4. Child Mortality. India’s

score in GHI in 2024 was 27.3 point, which is ‘serious’ in a 100-point scale. Zero is the best possible score defining ‘no hunger’ while ‘50 and above’ defines an ‘extremely alarming’

situation. The GHI score for the world as a whole was 18.3. Worldwide, one person out of nine does not have enough to eat. The first Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations

i.e. ‘No Poverty’ and ‘Zero Hunger’ by 2030 are significant and correlated. NITI Aayog is the nodal institution for achieving SDGs in India. There should be obligatory and immediate

accelerated initiatives by the governments to eradicate extreme poverty and thereby to reach the target of no hunger simultaneously. Poverty and hunger are interlinked and the two words are

used almost synonymously The market-driven economy may not be able to eradicate extreme poverty on its own.

The market’s power only values the price of the produce and delivers it to those who can pay for it. Further, market cannot deliver essential public goods from education to health, transport

etc. Growth was portrayed as a cure for many social ailments and a route to tackle poverty. However, no direct correlation can be established between economic growth and reduction of

poverty. Therefore, the government has to step in. Since independence, Indian governments have undertaken various social schemes and projects to reduce and ultimately to eradicate poverty.

However, it seems that more needs to be done for a sustainable and complete eradication of poverty and hunger.

Governments should help create an enabling environment to generate productive employment and job opportunities for the underprivileged and the marginalized. It is important to ensure that

the poor and vulnerable have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services like education, health and information. People who fell into the vicious cycle of poverty

sometimes need external help to move out of the poverty trap. A little boost by providing local job opportunities or other assistance may increase their earnings. A little extra income for

these people will definitely act as a stimulus to their livelihood. However, identification of these vulnerable people by a household survey is vital. Societies can be deeply undermined by

the presence of extreme poverty and inequality. Inequality and poverty damage the social fabric of society.

Persistent hunger among a large section of population is also a social disgrace. Creating sound policy frameworks and robust implementation at the national, regional, state and local levels,

based on pro-poor development strategies will support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions and to achieve the ‘No Poverty’ and ‘No Hunger’ benchmark by 2030. Time is the

constraint.