India at the Epicenter of Global Progress Against Hunger

The world is also witnessing a significant reduction in global undernourishment, decreasing from 688 to 673 million from 2023 to 2024. Chapter 03 – Hunger in India Hunger in India has been a major driver of this positive trend, as it has managed to effectively reduce its own burden of hunger by leveraging targeted policies and digital innovation, even in the face of post-pandemic difficulties.

India’s Declining Undernourishment

14.3 percent in 2020–22 to 12 percent in 2022–24 , taking 30 million out of hunger in India. This is a notable win, considering the huge population of the country and the dislocation prompted by the pandemic.

Digitization of PDS( Public Distribution System)

Tech-driven overhaul of its PDS: A strain of the DNA India’s success has been by making its pesticidemarking shopkeepers shopkeepers into tech savvy owners of modern stores.

• Leakage and efficiency improved with Aadhaar-based targeting and biometric authentication.
• The One Nation One Ration Card scheme allowed internal migrants to avail subsidized food across the state boundary.
• Informative at the point of sale meant that customers were able to follow their food’s journey in real time.

From Calories to Nutrition

With more calorie access, 212But still, more than 60 percent of Indians can’t afford healthy diets . In light of this, India has widened initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman and Integrated Child Development Services to encourage dietary diversity and tackle micronutrient deficiencies.

Ongoing Challenges and the Road Ahead

Global malnutrition, obesity, and micronutrient deficiencies continue to be problems, particularly in poor urban and rural households. To tackle this, India is:

• Building better cold chains, digital logistics and less food waste (now about ~13% post-harvest losses).
• Backing women led agri-enterprises and Farmer Producer Organizations .
• The use of digital tools such as AgriStack and e-NAM to facilitate market access and nutrition-sensitive agriculture.

Global Implications

The example of India's progress is that it is something that other developing countries can copy. With five years remaining until the Sustainable Development Goals deadline, India’s mix of political commitment, digital governance, and scalable social protection is crucial to global efforts to secure food.