Jharkhand: Empty Plates, Silent Deaths

An Everlasting Hunger Crisis

July 26, 2024
By  Tej Bahadur Singh

Bhukhal Ghasi, a 50-year-old laborer from Bokaro district in Jharkhand, had a family of seven to support. Amidst existing poverty and food scarcity, he struggled to find work. The situation worsened when he died of hunger in March 2020. Tragically, Bhukhal’s family faced another loss just a few months later. Jharkhand is the lowest-performing state in India’s “Zero Hunger Goal” of SDGs, accounting for 33 of the 99 starvation deaths between 2015 and 2020. The state’s negligence left Bhukhal waiting for months to receive a ration card.