Sharing a common colonial legacy, India and Pakistan, post-Independence, have struggled to achieve sustainable growth. Although, successive regimes on both sides of the border have tried to bring about massive policy changes and improve the living standards of its citizens, both the countries have failed to produce major breakthroughs, particularly in hunger alleviation.

According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2017 report, out of the 850 million hungry people in the world, 300 million are from India and Pakistan alone. This is despite the fact that both countries produce surplus food.

“Problems arise owing to deficiencies in policy implementation, and distribution rather than production,” says Khurshid Ahmad, a senior official working in the Government of India's food distribution department.