Has the Economy Left the Children Behind? Nutritional Immiserization in India

In spite of rapid economic growth and recent progress in certain nutritional parameters, children in India continue to have among the worst anthropometric indicators in the world. This chapter constructs a hunger index for each state in India for 2006 and 2016 on the lines of the Global Hunger Index. It studies two of the component indicators of the index—child stunting and wasting—in relation to per capita state incomes. This shows a weakening relationship between the levels and growth rates of per capita incomes and the levels and changes in nutritional indicators since the late 1990s, particularly in the case of child wasting, which has worsened in absolute terms. With the qualifier that further nutritional progress is harder to attain at improved levels, these results indicate that economic growth has had a limited role in explaining the improvements in child anthropometry over the past two decades. Three explanations are assessed, all of which are found to be plausible. The experiences of certain states indicate the need for more committed interventions towards improving health and nutrition services.