90% Indian homes reduced food intake during the Covid-induced lockdown: study

Covid-19 has worsened India's hunger crisis, says a study by Azim Premji University, revealing that 90% of Indian households suffered a reduction in food intake as a result of the lockdown, according to a report in the The Economic Times.

Earlier, the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy in its report said, that more than 15 million Indians lost their jobs in May alone at the height of a devastating wave that overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums.

All of that is leading to an increase in hunger, particularly in urban areas, in a nation that already accounts for nearly a third of the world’s malnourished people.

India is home to one-third of the world’s malnourished people and one-fourth of the world's hungry population. 20% of children under the age of five are underweight, while 200 million people have insufficient access to food, as per official data.

The study by the Azim Premji University says, as India’s economy shrunk by 7.3% last year, the daily average wage for about 230 million Indians — dropped below the 375-rupee threshold. The study shows that 90% of respondents reported that their households had suffered a reduction in food intake as a result of the lockdown.

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