Pakistan better than India in global hunger index: Daily Times

* IFPRI says low educational status of women, poor nutrition and health programmes, major problems in South Asia

NEW DELHI: Pakistan figures slightly better than India in a new global hunger index released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in association with a German group Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide.While India ranks 66 out of the 88 countries on the 2008 Global Hunger Index, Pakistan stands at number 61. Bangladesh made the list at number 70. According to the authors of the report, three leading indicators - prevalence of child malnutrition, rate of child mortality, and the proportion of people who are calorie deficient – were the standards upon which the countries were rated."The world has made only slow progress in reducing hunger in past decades, with dramatic differences among countries and regions," said Ashok Gulathi, the IFPRI Asia director.He said though current financial measures might bring some short-term relief for hungry people, as they will reduce commodity prices, but the credit crunch will make access to capital difficult, including for agriculture, and that could add another obstacle to overcoming the food crisis.

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