NEW DELHI, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The "Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2019" showed that India is positioned at the 102nd position among 117 countries.
The GHI is an annual index designed to measure and track hunger at the global, national and regional levels and to assess progress and setbacks in combating hunger.
The 2019 GHI indicated the level of hunger and under-nutrition worldwide based on four indicators -- undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality, since 2000.
Five years ago, the GHI had ranked India at 55 position out of the total 77 countries assessed then.
According to the report prepared by "Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide", India is among the 45 countries having serious levels of hunger.
"In India, just 9.6 percent of all children between six to 23 months of age are fed a minimum acceptable diet. As of 2015-2016, 90 percent of Indian households used an improved drinking water source while 39 percent of households had no sanitation facilities (IIPS and ICF 2017)," Indian media quoted the report as saying on Wednesday.
In another observation, the report said that open defecation was still prevalent in India, despite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claims earlier this month that the rural India had become Open Defecation Free (ODF).
Modi had instituted the "Clean India" campaign in 2014 to end open defecation and ensure that all households had proper toilets. "Even with new latrine construction, open defecation is still practiced. This situation jeopardizes the population's health and consequently children's growth and development as their ability to absorb nutrients is compromised," the report was quoted as saying.
