A report by NGO says that 47 per cent of children of India under the age of six are malnourished. Today on Friday World food day is observed by the world while the NGO’s ranking for hunger states places India below the countries like Bangladesh and Nepal.

Action Aid’s international policy director Anne Jellema says “It is the role of the state and not the level of wealth, that determines progress on hunger”.According to the report given by Action Aid an International NGO India is placed at 22nd spot amongst 51 countries.

A study reveals that although India is ranked among the first three developing nations over 30 million Indians are placed in the ranks of hunger since 1990′s.

Director for ActionAid India, Babu Matthew says that “The dark side of India’s economic growth has been that the excluded social groups have been further marginalised, compounding their hunger, malnutrition and even leading to starvation and deaths”.

Action Aid’s report continues saying that India has some of the best plans and schemes for the social protection such as free school meals, employment guareantee, pension, food subsidy.Although such plans are initiated but the poor implementation of these schemes brings in empty results.

Food rights head of the NGO, Amar Joyti Nayak “Implementation remains a massive challenge in the absence of recognition of rights of the poor”.He continues saying “Entitlements have to be delivered on the ground by empowering the communities and enforced earnestly with greater political will by the government”.He adds on “In a year when poor are reeling under crop loss due to droughts and floods in India, focus must be on supporting agriculture, especially subsistence and women farmers”.

Jellema concludes saying “Massive and urgent support to poor farmers, and social welfare programs for vulnerable groups, are needed to reverse growing global hunger. At the World Food Summit next month, donor countries need to announce an additional 23 billion dollars to support these measures”.