Context: A Global Turning Point

·       Global hunger, after years of worsening trends, is beginning to show signs of a long-awaited reversal. According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 report by the United Nations, the number of undernourished people globally declined to approximately 673 million in 2024—representing 8.2% of the world’s population—down from 688 million in 2023. While this figure still exceeds the pre-pandemic level of 7.3% in 2018, the reduction marks a critical turning point in the international fight against hunger. Within this global context, India has emerged as a central player whose recent policy innovations, systemic reforms, and targeted interventions have contributed meaningfully to this progress.

·       This article explores India’s decisive contribution to the global hunger challenge through its transformation of the Public Distribution System (PDS), its focus on nutrition rather than mere calorie sufficiency, and its forward-looking digital and agrifood system reforms.

India’s Progress in Food Security

India’s progress in addressing hunger has been driven by a combination of strategic policy reforms, technological interventions, and governance improvements. Revised estimates using new National Sample Survey data show that undernourishment in India dropped from 14.3% in the 2020–22 period to 12% between 2022–24. In absolute terms, this means that 30 million fewer people in India are living with hunger—a significant achievement in a country of over 1.4 billion, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused severe economic and logistical disruptions.

Modernising the Public Distribution System (PDS)

One of the cornerstones of India’s improved food security has been the comprehensive overhaul of its Public Distribution System. This system, once plagued by inefficiencies and leakages, has been significantly enhanced through digitalisation. Tools such as Aadhaar-enabled beneficiary identification, biometric authentication, and real-time inventory tracking have brought unprecedented transparency and responsiveness. The introduction of the One Nation One Ration Card scheme has made food entitlements portable across state lines, a critical development for migrant workers and vulnerable families. These advancements enabled the government to swiftly scale up food support during the pandemic and continue providing subsidised staples to more than 800 million people, even under crisis conditions.

From Calorie Sufficiency to Nutrition Security

While India has made commendable progress in ensuring caloric sufficiency, the bigger challenge remains improving overall nutrition. Despite the scale of food distribution, more than 60% of Indians still cannot afford a healthy diet, due to factors such as high prices of nutrient-rich foods, weak cold-chain infrastructure, and inefficient market linkages. In response, the government has launched initiatives focused on dietary diversity and nutrition sensitivity, especially among children. The Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) programme and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) are among the key efforts in this direction, aimed at delivering both food and nutrition to school-aged children and vulnerable households.

Ongoing Progress Amid Structural Barriers

New UN data indicates that India has made strides in making healthy diets relatively more affordable, even amid global inflation. However, this success has not erased deeper structural issues. Although hunger levels are declining, problems such as malnutrition, obesity, and micronutrient deficiencies continue to rise, particularly in lower-income urban and rural communities. This indicates that policy frameworks need to expand their scope beyond the eradication of hunger to embrace broader goals related to public health and nutrition.

Reforming the Agrifood System for Long-Term Impact

·       Ensuring sustainable food and nutrition security requires a transformation of India’s agrifood system. One critical area is the increased production and affordability of nutrient-rich foods such as pulses, fruits, vegetables, and animal-based products—many of which remain inaccessible to low-income households. Investment in post-harvest infrastructure is equally vital. India currently loses nearly 13% of its food between farm and market due to inadequate storage and logistics. Expanding cold storage, warehouses, and digital logistics networks can help reduce this loss, thereby stabilising prices and improving availability.

·       Simultaneously, empowering women-led food enterprises, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and local cooperatives is essential, particularly those involved in cultivating climate-resilient crops. These initiatives not only enhance access to diverse, nutritious foods but also support livelihoods and community development in rural areas.

·       India’s digital edge provides another transformative opportunity. Platforms such as AgriStack, e-NAM (electronic National Agriculture Market), and geospatial data systems offer the potential to optimise agricultural planning, expand market access for farmers, and enhance the delivery of nutrition-sensitive schemes. When combined, these tools can build a more resilient, equitable, and nutrition-oriented food system capable of withstanding future shocks.

India as a Global Symbol of Possibility

·       India’s domestic achievements in transforming its food and nutrition systems hold significant international relevance. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has spotlighted India as a model for the Global South, highlighting how technological innovation, targeted social protection, and data-driven governance can create scalable solutions to hunger. India’s example demonstrates that when political will, strategic investment, and inclusive policy design come together, large-scale reductions in hunger are not only possible but achievable.

·       With only five years remaining to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 2: Zero Hunger, India’s recent success offers a much-needed sense of global optimism. However, sustaining and building on this progress will demand a shift in policy focus—from ensuring basic food availability to guaranteeing access to diverse and nutritious diets—while also embedding resilience and equity into every layer of food governance.

Conclusion: Leadership in a Global Fight

The global “hunger clock” continues to tick, but India has proven that the trajectory can be altered. Its actions no longer serve only its own population but now inspire hope and provide a practical blueprint for other nations. India’s emergence as a leader in food and nutrition security illustrates how national transformation can drive global progress. As the world edges closer to the 2030 deadline for the SDGs, India’s experience stands as a testament to what is possible when ambition meets action—turning the goal of ending hunger from aspiration into reality.