India has been ranked 67, in a new global hunger index by the International Food Policy Research Institute. The index, released today rated 84 countries on the basis of three leading indicators : prevalence of child malnutrition, rate of child mortality, and the proportion of people who are calorie deficient. India ranks well below neighbouring countries like China, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Bangladesh is listed at 68th position.The report points out that in India, the high Index scores are because of high levels of child underweight resulting from the low nutritional and social status of women in the country. It also says that India alone accounts for a large share of the world's undernourished children.India is home to 42 per cent of the world's underweight children.The report says that undernutrition in the first two years of life threatens a child's life and can jeopardise physical, motor and cognitive development. It is therefore of particular importance that concerted action is taken to to combat hunger, especially among young children.