Day: June 11, 2024
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NPR News: 06-11-2024 7PM EDT
India’s low ranking on the Global Hunger Index (GHI) is particularly alarming when juxtaposed with its South Asian neighbours. Bangladesh, often perceived as less developed, fares better on the hunger index. Even Sri Lanka, despite facing significant economic turmoil, manages to address hunger more effectively. This paradox necessitates a thorough examination: How has India, amidst its economic growth, faltered so deeply in the fundamental struggle for human dignity?
The recent Global Hunger Index (GHI) has once again shed light on India’s dire struggle against hunger, revealing a distressing level of deprivation. Ranked 111th out of 125 countries, India’s GHI score of 28.7 signifies a serious hunger crisis. This reality is paradoxical, considering India’s notable economic and technological advancements. How does a nation that prides itself on being a burgeoning global power fail so profoundly in fulfilling the basic needs of its people?
An objective analysis of India’s severe hunger crisis unveils systemic inequalities inherent in its market economy and socio-economic structures. This perspective is essential to understand the depth and complexity of India’s hunger issues, rooted in deep-seated injustice and inequality.
A Paradox of Prosperity
India’s low ranking on the GHI is particularly alarming when juxtaposed with its South Asian neighbours. Bangladesh, often perceived as less developed, fares better on the hunger index. Even Sri Lanka, despite facing significant economic turmoil, manages to address hunger more effectively. This paradox necessitates a thorough examination: How has India, amidst its economic growth, faltered so deeply in the fundamental struggle for human dignity?
The answer lies in the profound inequalities that plague Indian society. Economic growth in India has not translated into equitable distribution of wealth and resources. Instead, it has exacerbated existing disparities, leaving vast segments of the population marginalized and deprived.
Inequality: The Root Cause
The hunger crisis in India is not due to a lack of resources but rather the systemic injustices entrenched within its society. Progress is often achieved at the expense of the marginalized – those trapped by caste, gender biases, and poverty. Inequality acts as a festering wound, intensifying hunger amid pockets of affluence surrounded by vast seas of deprivation.
The socio-economic structures in India perpetuate a cycle of poverty and exclusion. The market economy prioritizes profit over people, leading to an uneven distribution of resources. This systemic inequality is the root cause of hunger in India, affecting the most vulnerable segments of the population.
The Plight of India’s Farmers
At the heart of India’s hunger crisis is the dire plight of its farmers. These individuals, who work tirelessly to feed the nation, often face hunger themselves. They struggle with meagre earnings, overwhelming debt, and relentless climatic adversities. The agricultural sector, which should be the backbone of India’s food security, teeters on the brink of collapse.
Farmers are denied their rightful share in the nation’s progress, making it challenging for them to provide for their own families. The agrarian distress is compounded by policies that favor large corporations and urban development over rural needs. This systemic neglect of the agricultural sector is a significant factor contributing to India’s hunger crisis.
The agrarian crisis in India, a country that once prided itself on its agrarian heritage, is emblematic of the wider malaise afflicting its society. The plight of farmers, who bear the brunt of neoliberal policies and corporate exploitation, underscores the systematic neglect of those who sustain the nation’s food security.
Neoliberal Assault on Agriculture
Under the guise of modernization and efficiency, successive Indian governments have capitulated to neoliberal doctrines, sacrificing the interests of small and marginal farmers at the altar of corporate profits. The dismantling of subsidies, the withdrawal of state support, and the opening up of agricultural markets to global forces have left farmers vulnerable to the vagaries of the market, pushing many into the abyss of poverty and despair
The encroachment of agribusiness conglomerates, facilitated by policies favoring corporate interests, has further exacerbated the marginalization of farmers. Large corporations, with their financial muscle and political influence, dictate terms to smallholders, coercing them into exploitative contracts and monopolizing the agricultural supply chain. As farmers lose control over their land and livelihoods, their autonomy is eroded, perpetuating a cycle of dependency and destitution.
Environmental Degradation and Climate Vulnerability
India’s farmers are also on the frontlines of climate change, grappling with erratic weather patterns and environmental degradation exacerbated by unsustainable agricultural practices. The intensification of droughts, floods, and cyclones not only disrupts agricultural productivity but also exacerbates food insecurity, pushing vulnerable communities deeper into the abyss of hunger and deprivation.
Government Policies and Their Failures
Despite numerous government programs aimed at alleviating hunger, the effectiveness of these policies is questionable. Initiatives such as the Public Distribution System (PDS) and the National Food Security Act have had limited success in reaching the most vulnerable populations. Corruption, inefficiency, and poor implementation plague these programs, preventing them from achieving their intended goals.
Amidst this onslaught, India’s farmers have displayed remarkable resilience and resistance, mobilizing against oppressive policies and asserting their rights to land, livelihood, and dignity. The historic farmers’ protests of 2020-2021, which saw millions take to the streets in defiance of unjust agricultural laws, symbolized the collective struggle of farmers against systemic oppression and corporate hegemony.
The Way Forward
The plight of India’s farmers and the spectre of hunger haunting millions demand urgent action and radical reform. A paradigm shift is needed, one that prioritizes food sovereignty, agrarian justice, and the empowerment of smallholder farmers. This necessitates a departure from neoliberal orthodoxy and a return to policies that prioritize people over profits, communities over corporations.
Investing in sustainable agriculture, strengthening social safety nets, and ensuring equitable access to land and resources are imperative steps towards addressing the root causes of hunger and inequality in India. Moreover, genuine democracy and participatory governance are essential to ensure that policies are shaped by the voices of the marginalized and vulnerable.
As India grapples with the paradox of prosperity amidst pervasive hunger, the words of Mahatma Gandhi resonate: “The true India is not to be found in its few cities, but in its 700,000 villages. We must remove this contradiction at the earliest possible moment, or else those who suffer from it will turn around and destroy the people who still depend on it.”
Final Analysis
Finally, India’s hunger shame lays bare the contradictions of a nation hailed for its economic growth but marred by deep-rooted inequalities and injustices. The hunger crisis; is a stark reminder of the deep-seated inequalities and systemic injustices that persist in the country. Despite its economic advancements, India has failed to address the basic needs of its most vulnerable populations.;
The Global Hunger Index exposes the harsh reality of this failure, highlighting the urgent need for inclusive and equitable policies. It is incumbent upon Indians, as a society, to confront these injustices head-on and strive towards a future where no one goes to bed hungry in the land of plenty. ;
China, Russia, and Iran, three of the seven original signatories of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran nuclear deal, issued a joint statement on June 5, asking the European signatories to make efforts to restore the deal.
“The People’s Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran[,] and the Russian Federation are convinced that it is time for Western Countries to demonstrate political will, stop the continued cycle of escalation that has been going on for almost two years[,] and take the necessary steps towards the revival of the JCPOA. This can still be done,”;the statement;reads.
The JCPOA was signed by Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany in 2015. The deal allowed Iran to have a peaceful nuclear program under certain restrictions and strict international observation. In return, all international sanctions on Iran were lifted.
However, in May 2018, the United States decided to unilaterally withdraw from the deal claiming its provisions were insufficient. The Trump administration imposed numerous unilateral sanctions against Iran as well. Its European allies have also imposed sanctions against Iran.
During his 2020 electoral campaign, President Joe Biden had promised to return to the deal if elected. A talk was initiated to revive the deal in April 2021 in Vienna. However, it has remained inconclusive as the United States has refused to withdraw all sanctions before full restoration of Iranian compliance to the provisions of the deal.
The Biden administration has since broadened the sanctions regime against Iran. It has also leveled allegations that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons and has pointed out Iran’s non-compliance with the provisions of the deal.
The joint statement of China, Russia, and Iran on June 5 called both the United States’ unilateral withdrawal and the sanctions against Iran illegal.
Over 1 million people in the Gaza Strip might face starvation by mid-July, according to new reports by the;Food and Agriculture Organization;and the;Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. The nutritional status of Gaza’s population continues to deteriorate, with children being among the hardest hit:;nine out of ten;children are currently surviving on two or fewer food groups per day.
A full-fledged famine has not yet been declared, but several health and nutrition experts have warned that people in Gaza are already dying of hunger. “Once a famine is declared, it is too late—many people will have already starved to death,”;said;Cindy McCain, World Food Program Executive Director.
Health care in Gaza continues to suffer daily attacks by the Israeli Occupying Forces. Most hospitals in southern Gaza have been put out of operation since Israeli forces increased attacks in the region. The only two hospitals still able to function in Rafah, the ICRC Field Hospital and the UAE Field Hospital, are increasingly difficult to reach.
To the north, the remaining hospitals are struggling to care for hundreds of victims of Israel’s attacks on refugee camps, schools, and residential areas. In the first week of June, Al-Aqsa Hospital was barely coping with the influx of casualties.
The pressure on hospitals is unlikely to decrease as attacks continue and medical evacuations remain blocked. Between May 7 and June 7, there were no;health-related evacuations;from the Gaza Strip. Before May 7, less than 50 percent of the evacuation requests were approved, and only 38 percent of those approved actually took place. The others were not carried out due to security concerns, leaving at least 14,000 people in need of medical evacuation, according to the World Health Organization.