India prioritizing malnutrition can reduce hunger globally, says WFP

New Delhi, Dec 18 (ANI): The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) is of the view that Indian's commitment to accord priority to malnutrition can make a significant contribution to the global fight against malnourishment and hunger.

India is home to more than 230 million undernourished people, more than any other country. They constitute over 27 per cent of the global undernourished population.

While the proportion of malnourished people has fallen in India, their absolute numbers are rising with the population.

The executive director of World Food Programme Josette Sheeran said here on Wednesday that the WFP is in touch with the Indian Government to find new ways to reach these people.

"We are partnering with government of India to find new ways to reach those people who don't get adequate nutrition. I am very inspired by Prime Minister's commitment to make malnutrition a top priority for government of India," saidheeran.

Sheeran said India had made major progress in food production and has broken the cycle of famines, but still needs to make its state-run Public Distribution System (PDS) more effective to deliver food to the poor.

She added that the WFP would like to benefit from the wisdom available at grass root level regarding food management.

"Women of the world carry a lot of weight on their shoulders and they have so many needs and sometimes they don't even have enough nutrients for themselves. So I want to learn from them how we can help them better. Secondly, we are consulting with the best experts and others and how to be most effective in what we do," Sheeran added.

A survey by the Indian Health Ministry, backed by the UNICEF, found that almost 46 per cent of children under the age of three were undernourished. (ANI)