Congress slams Smriti Irani for Global Hunger Index comments
What's the story
The opposition slammed Union Minister Smriti Irani for questioning the credibility of the Global Hunger Index on Friday.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate accused Irani of being uninformed and insensitive, labeling her an "embarrassment."
Irani had earlier labeled the index "hogwash."
"They make the index, here in India, by calling 3,000 people out of 140 crore people and asking them if they are hungry. That index is saying Pakistan is doing better than India, can you imagine?" she had said.
Details
Don't make 'mockery of hunger': Shrinate
Shrinate underscored that there are four indicators of hunger: undernourishment, stunting in children, wasting in children, and the child mortality rate.
Accusing her of making a "mockery of hunger," Shrinate said she was ashamed by Irani's comments.
"Please don't make a mockery of hunger - you are an extremely powerful...entitled woman, a minister in the Government of India for heaven's sake!" Shrinate wrote.
Irani made the comments at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) event.
Twitter Post
Shrinate slanders Irani
स्मृति ईरानी जी,
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) October 20, 2023
क्या आपको सचमुच लगता है कि वैश्विक भूख सूचकांक की गणना सिर्फ़ लोगों को फोन करके और उनसे यह पूछकर की जाती है कि क्या वे भूखे हैं!!???
आप भारत सरकार में महिला एवं बाल विकास मंत्री हैं - आपको सुनकर आश्चर्य होता है, सच कहूँ तो शर्म आती है।
किसी देश का वैश्विक भूख… pic.twitter.com/l9bbVoPBIl
What Next?
Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also criticizes Irani
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also criticized Irani for her remarks. In a social media post, she accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader of "mocking hunger."
She further dismissed Irani's claim that the index was inaccurate due to its small sample size.
Chaturvedi argued that BJP leaders will "merrily tweet about Morning Consult's global leader index showing Modiji at number 1."
Her remarks came days after she accused the Centre of lacking "willpower" to give reservations to women.
Insights
India's rank on Global Hunger Index
India ranked 111th out of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2023, which the government dismissed as flawed and maliciously intended.
The index, published on Thursday, revealed that India has the world's highest child-wasting rate at 18.7%, indicating severe undernutrition.
With a score of 28.7, India's hunger level is categorized as serious, according to a report based on the index. Neighboring nations Pakistan (102nd), Bangladesh (81st), Nepal (69th), and Sri Lanka (60th) performed better than India in the ranking.