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INDEX

1. Human Development Index ...................................... 17 25. World Climate and Security Report 2020 ................. 27

2. Human Capital Index ................................................ 17 26. Corruption Perceptions Index .................................... 27

3. Human Capital Score ................................................ 18 27. Democracy Index 2019 ............................................. 27

4. Global Competitiveness Index .................................. 18 28. United in Science Report ........................................... 28

5. Multidimensional Poverty Index ............................... 19 29. World Malaria Report ............................................... 28

6. Global Hunger Index ................................................. 19 30. Global Wealth Report ................................................ 29

7. Global Gender Gap Index ......................................... 20 31. Misery Index ............................................................. 29

8. Gender Social Norms Index ...................................... 21 32. International Religious Freedom Report ................... 29

9. A New era for girls: Report ....................................... 21 33. Freedom in the World Report .................................... 30

10. Ease of Doing Business Index ................................... 21 34. Henley Passport Index ............................................... 30

11. Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index.............. 22 35. QS Indian University Rankings ................................. 31

12. International Migrant Stock 2019.............................. 22 36. SDG India Index........................................................ 31

13. Social Mobility Index ................................................ 23 37. SARAL ...................................................................... 32

14. World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2020 38. Composite Water Management Index ....................... 32
(WESO) ............................................................................. 23
39. India Justice Report 2019 .......................................... 33
15. Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS)................ 23
40. India Internet 2019 .................................................... 33
16. Sustainability Index and Flourishing Index ............... 24
41. Good Governance Index ............................................ 33
17. Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) 2019 42. State Energy Efficiency Index 2019 .......................... 34
Global Report ..................................................................... 24
43. Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) ............. 34
18. Services Trade Restrictiveness Index ........................ 24
44. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health Report......... 35
19. International Intellectual Property Index ................... 25
45. India Child Well-Being Report ................................. 35
20. Global Health Security Index .................................... 25
46. School Education Quality Index ................................ 36
21. World Air Quality Report 2019 ................................ 26
47. All India Survey on Higher Education 2018-19…. .. 37
22. Business-to-consumer E-commerce index ................ 26
48. Municipal Performance Index 2019 .......................... 38
23. World Water Development Report............................ 26
49. Ease of Living Index ................................................. 38
24. Statement of the State of the Global Climate in 2019
50. World Happiness Report ........................................... 38
Report ................................................................................ 26

TARGET 2020

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REPORTS AND INDICES 2020

Sl.No Reports/Indices Publishing Organizations

Financial Organisations

1. Ease of Doing Business

2. World Development Report

3. Global Economic Prospect (GEP) Report

4. Remittance Report

5. Ease of Living Index

6. India Development Update

7. Global Financial Development Report

World Bank
8. Energy Efficiency Implementation Readiness

Human Capital Index


9.
(Prepared as a part of World development Report)
Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy
10.
(RISE)

11. Logistics Performance Index

Report : A Glass Half Full: The promise of


12.
Regional Trade in South Asia
Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2018: Piecing
13.
Together the Poverty Puzzle

Human Capital Index


14.
(Prepared as a part of World development Report)

15. Universal Health Coverage Index World Bank + WHO

16. Global Human Capital Index

17. Global Information Technology Report

18. Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report World Economic Forum (WEF)

19. Global Competitiveness Report

20. Global Enabling Trade Report

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Global Energy Architecture Performance Index


21.
Report

22. Global Environment Performance Index

23. World Power Language Index

24. Inclusive Development Index

25. Global Gender Gap Index

26. Global Risk Report

27. Energy Transition Index

28. Future of Jobs Report

29. Global Manufacturing Index

30. Social Mobility Index

31. Readiness for future of Production Report WEF + AT Kearney

32. Global Financial Stability Report


International Monetary Fund (IMF)
33. World Economic Outlook

The Programme for International Student


34.
Assessment (PISA)

Organisation of Economic Cooperation and


35. Government at a Glance Report
Development (OECD)

Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) 2019


36.
Global Report

37. World Trade Outlook Indicator World Trade Organisation (WTO)

38. Global Financial System Report Bank for International Settlements (BIS)

UN and its Specialised Agencies

39. Global education monitoring Report


United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
40. Gender Parity Index

41. World Water Development Report UNESCO on behalf of UN Water

42. Report on Regular Resources United Nations International Children‘s

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Emergency Fund (UNICEF)


43. The State of the World‘s Children reports

44. Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey

45. Sustainability Index and Flourishing Index WHO, UNICEF and THE LANCET

UNICEF, Plan International and United Nations


46. A New era for girls: Report
Women

47. Global Report on Trafficking in Persons

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime


48. World Drug Report
(UNODC)

49. World Wildlife Crime Report

50. ICT Development Index


United Nations International Telecommunication
Union (UN-ITU)
51. Global Cyber Security Index

UN-ITU, United Nations University (UNU) and


52. ‗Global E-waste Monitor‘ Report
International Solid Waste Association (ISWA)

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees


53. The Global Report
(UNHCR)

54. World Investment Report

55. Trade & Development Report

56. The Least Developed Countries Report

United Nations Conference on Trade and


57. Information and Economy Report
Development (UNCTAD)

58. The Technology and Innovation Report

59. Commodities and Development Report

60. B2C e-commerce Index

61. World Economic situation and Prospects Report UNCTAD &UN-DESA

62. World‘s Women Report

63. e-Participation Index


UN-Department of Economic & Social Affairs (UN-
DESA)
64. e-Government Development Index

65. International Migrant Stock 2019

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66. World Population Prospects

United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice


67. Reports on Counterfeiting and Organized Crime
Research Institute (UNICRI)

United Nations Industrial Development


68. Industrial Development Report
Organization (UNIDO)

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction


69. Global Assessment Report
(UNISDR)

Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on


Ecosystem Services Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

70. State of World Population Report United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

71. World Cities Report UN-Habitat

UN-Habitat in partnership with Global Urban


72. Habitat Commitment Index
Futures Project

UN Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality


73. Levels and Trends in Child Mortality Report
Estimation

United Nations University Institute for


74. World Risk Index
Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS)

UN – Sustainable Development Solutions Network


75. World Happiness Report
(SDSN)

76. World Social Protection Report

77. World Employment and Social Outlook

Care Work and Care Jobs for the Future of Decent


78. International Labour Organization (ILO)
Work Report

79. World of Work Report

80. Global Wage Report

81. Gender Social Norms Index

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

82. Gender Inequality Index

Global Gender Gap Index WEF

Gender Parity Index UNESCO

83. Actions on Air Quality United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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/ UN Environment
84. Global Environment Outlook

85. Emission Gap Report

86. Inclusive Wealth Report

87. The Rise of Environmental Crime Report UNEP & INTERPOL

88. World State of Forest Report


Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
89. Global Food Price Index

90. World Health Statistics

91. World Tuberculosis Report

92. Global Nutrition Report

93. World Vision Report

World Health Organization (WHO)


94. World Malaria Report

95. Ambient Air Pollution Report

96. World Air Quality Report IQAir and Greenpeace

97. Greenhouse Gas Bulletin

98. United in Science Report World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)

Statement of the State of the Global Climate in


99.
2019 Report

100. Safety Reports


International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
101. CORSIA

102. World Migration Report International Organisation for Migration (IOM)

103. World Intellectual Property Report World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)

International Intellectual Property Index US Chamber of Commerce

104. World Water Development Report UN-Water

Other International Organizations

Asian Economic Integration Report & Asian


105. Asian Development Bank
Development Outlook

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106. Asian Infrastructure Finance Report 2019 Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting


107. World Oil Outlook
Countries (OPEC)

Nuclear Organisations Reports

108. Technical Cooperation Report


International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
109. Nuclear Technology Review

110. Red Book (Uranium Report) IAEA+ Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)

111. World Energy Outlook

112. The Future of Rail Report

113. Global Electric Vehicle Outlook International Energy Agency (IEA)

Status of Power System Transmission 2018


114.
Report

115. Southeast Asia Energy Outlook

International Union for Conservation of Nature


116. Red List
(IUCN)

Non-Profit Organisations

117. The Energy Report & Living Planet Report World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

118. Global Corruption Report


Transparency International
119. Corruption Perception Index

120. World Press Freedom Index Reporters Without Borders

121. Death Penalty Report Amnesty International

International Food Policy Research Institute


122. Global Hunger Index
(IFPRI)

123. Gender Vulnerability Index Plan India

124. An Economy for the 99% Oxfam

125. Widening Gaps - India Inequality Report Oxfam India

126. Change the World List Data Fortune

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127. Global Pension Index Melbourne Mercer

Walk Free foundation, Australia based Human


128. Global Slavery Index
Rights Group

129. Global Retail Development Index


AT Kearney (American Global Management
Consulting Firm)
130. FDI Confidence Index

131. Global Climate Risk Index German Watch

German Watch and Climate Action Network


132. Climate Change Performance Index
Europe

Created by the Global Burden of Disease &


133. Healthcare Access & Quality Ranking
published in The Lancet

134. Global Burden of Diseases Report Lancet Planetary Health Journal

135. Financial Secrecy Index Tax Justice Network, UK based advocacy group

136. Freedom in the World Report Freedom House, a US-based watchdog

World Justice Project, American independent


137. Rule of Law Index
Multidisciplinary organisation

138. Commitment to Reduce Inequality Index Oxfam and Development Finance International

International Military Council on Climate and


139. World Climate and Security Report
Security (IMCCS)

Reports published by Research Centres and other Institutes

140. Index of Economic Freedom Heritage Foundation& Wall Street Journal

141. International Intellectual Property Index US Chamber of Commerce

142. Global Peace Index


Institute of Economics & Peace (IEP), Australia
143. Global Terrorism Index

Global Democracy Index / State of Democracy in


144.
the World 2018

145. Government E-Payments Adoption Ranking


Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), UK
146. Global Liveability Ranking

147. Inclusive Internet Index

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EIUand Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) & Johns


148. Global Health Security Index Hopkins University Center for Health Security
(CHS)

INSEAD, Adecco Group and the Human Capital


149. Global Talent Competitiveness Index
Leadership Institute of Singapore

150. City Momentum Index JLL Real Estate Services, US

151. State of Global Air Report Health Effects Institute , Boston

152. Global Ecological Footprint Global Footprint Network

153. Social Progress Index Social Progress Imperative

154. World Inequality Report World Inequality Lab, Paris School of Economics

155. Digital Evolution Index Tufts University, US and Mastercard

UNDP, Oxford Poverty & Human Development


156. Multidimensional Poverty Index
Initiative

157. Global Youth Development Index Commonwealth Secretariat (Youth Division)

V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg,


158. Varieties of Democracy Report
Sweden
US Commission on International Religious
159. International Religious Freedom Report
Freedom (USCIRF)
Credit Suisse Group, a Switzerland-based
160. Global Wealth Report
multinational investment bank

Reports Related to India

161. India State of Forest Report Forest Survey of India

162. Red Data Book of Indian Plants Botanical Survey of India

The Department of Administrative Reform and


163. Good Governance Index Public Grievances (DARPG) and Centre for Good
Governance (CGG), Hyderabad

164. Social Development Report Council for Social Development

165. State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index (SARAL) Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

‗World Vision India‘ and ‗IFMR LEAD‘ (research


166. India Child Well-Being Report
institute)

167. National Air Quality Indices


Central Pollution Control Board

168. Comprehensive Environment Pollution Index

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169. National Ambient Air Quality Standard

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR),


170. India State Level Disease Burden Report Public Health Foundation of India and Institute
for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).

171. Transformation of Aspirational Districts

172. Strategy for New India at 75


NITI Aayog
173. Women Transforming India 2019

174. Blockchain: The India Strategy

NITI Aayog, World Bank and Ministry of Health


175. Healthy States, Progressive India Report
and Family Welfare

NITI Aayog, Ministry of Jal Shakti and Ministry of


176. Composite Water Management Index
Rural Development

Sustainable Tourism in the Indian Himalayan NITI Aayog and ICIMOD (International Centre for
177.
Region Integrated Mountain Development)

NITI Aayog & Ministry of Statistics and


178. SDG India Index
Programme Implementation

179. State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index NITI Aayog & Bureau of Energy Efficiency

180. School Education Quality Index (SEQI) NITI Aayog, MHRD and World Bank

181. India Innovation Index 2019 NITI Aayog with Institute for Competitiveness

Global Innovation Index Cornell University, INSEAD & WIPO

Department for Promotion of Industry and


182. States‘ Startup Ranking
Internal Trade (DPIIT)

183. Energy Performance Index Bureau of Energy Efficiency

Ease of Living Index


184.
(At India Level)
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
185. Swachh Survekshan Report

186. Municipal Performance Index

187. Financial Stability Report Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

188. Financial Inclusion Index Ministry of Finance

189. Fiscal Performance Index Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

CII incollaboration with UNDP, AICTE and


190. India Skills Report
Wheebox (Global Talent assessment company)

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191. Indian Exclusion Report Centre for Equity Studies

192. India Internet Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI)

193. Index of Internet Readiness of Indian States IAMAI and Indicus Analytics

194. RESIDEX National Housing Bank

195. Annual Survey of Education Report PRATHAM

196. All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE)


Ministry of Human Resource Development
(MHRD)
197. Performance Grading Index

National University of Educational Planning and


198. Education Development Index India (State Level)
Administration (NUEPA)

199. Logistics Ease Across Different States Index Ministry of Commerce and Industry

200. Composite District Infrastructure Index Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

201. India Justice Report Tata Trusts

202. Greenex (Green Index) Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)

203. Deficient Rainfall Impact Parameter (DRIP) Index CRISIL

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1. Human Development Index 2019


 Human Development Report was recently released by UN Development Programme (UNDP).
 It unveils Human Development Index (HDI) which measures average achievement in three basic dimensions
of human development,
i. Life expectancy,
ii. Education and
iii. Per capita income.
 According to its recent report, India ranks129 out of 189 countries on the 2019HDI, up by one position
(130) from last year.
 Norway, Switzerland, Ireland occupied the top 3 positions followed by Germany & Hong Kong in 4 th and
Australia in 5th ranking.
 Among India's neighbours, Sri Lanka (71) and China (85) are higher up the rank scale.
 Bhutan (134), Bangladesh (135), Myanmar (145), Nepal (147), Pakistan (152) and Afghanistan (170) were
ranked lower on the list.
 Inequality-Adjusted HDI (IHDI) indicates percentage loss in HDI due to inequalities.
 In IHDI, India‘s position drops by one position to 130.
 In the Gender Inequality Index (GII), India is at 122 out of 162 countries. Neighbours China (39), Sri
Lanka (86), Bhutan (99), Myanmar (106) were placed above India.
 Report Highlights - South Asia was the fastest growing region in human development progress followed by
East Asia and the Pacific.
 The world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030 as per the UN‘s Sustainable Development Goals.
 It forecasts that it may take 202 years to close the gender gap in economic opportunity.
 It presents a new index indicating how prejudices and social beliefs obstruct gender equality.
 It shows that only 14% of women and 10% of men worldwide have no gender bias.
 It also highlights that new forms of inequalities will manifest in future through climate change and
technological transformation.

2. Human Capital Index 2019


 The World Bank has released a Human Capital Index as part of the World Development Report 2019.
 The theme of this year's world development report is ―The Changing Nature of Work‖.
 The first HCI was published recently at the annual
meetings of IMF and World Bank group. HDI Vs HCI

 The index is calculated for 157 countries.  United Nation Development Programme
(UNDP) calculates Human Development
 It seeks to measure the amount of human capital that a Index.
child born today can expect to attain by age 18.  HDI includes Health, Education and Per
 The components of HCI are, capita Income components.
 HCI excludes Per capita income and
1.Survival - measured by under-5 mortality rates included quality adjustments in learning.
2.Expected years of Quality-adjusted school -  This makes HCI far less representative of
measured by quantity and quality of education human capital development than the index
claims to be.
3.Health environment - measured by Adult survival
rates and rate of stunting for children under 5.
 The HCI outcome of each country is given as a fraction of maximum value of 1.
 The HCI for India has been estimated at 0.44 and India is ranked at115thposition in the index.

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 North America and Europe mostly have HCI value of above 0.75, while South Asia and Sub Saharan Africa
have the lowest HCI among the regions.

3. Human Capital Score 2018


 A recent study that ranks countries for their levels of spending on education and health care has been
published in Lancet.
 The study was conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the request of the
World Bank.
 It is the first ever scientific study ranking countries for their levels of human capital.
 Finland topped the score and turkey showed the most dramatic increase in human capital between 1990 and
2016.
 India ranks158thin the world for its investments in education and health care. It was ranked 162 in 1990.
 India is placed behind Sudan (ranked 157th) and ahead of Namibia (ranked 159th) in the list.
 The U.S. is ranked 27th, while China is at 44thand Pakistan at 164th.
 Countries in the South Asian region that have fared better than India in terms of human capital include Sri
Lanka (102), Maldives (116), Bhutan (133), Nepal (156).

4. Global Competitiveness Index 2019


 It is published by World Economic Forum annually.
 The index covers 141 nations and it measures national competitiveness through 103 indicators organized into
12 pillars.
 It accesses competitiveness through the factors that determine an economy‘s level of productivity.
 According to the recent report, United States ranked first followed by Singapore, Germany, Switzerland and
Japan.
 The 2019 index is the fourth version of the global competitiveness index; hence referred to as GCI 4.0.
 The GCI 4.0 tracks data and/or responses on 12 factors divided into 4 broad categories.
 The first category is the ―Enabling Environment.‖
 This includes factors such as the state of infrastructure, institutions, macroeconomic stability and the ability to
adopt new technology.
 The second category is ―Human Capital‖ and includes health and level of skills in the economy.
 The third is the state of ―Markets‖ such as those for labour, product, financial and the overall market size.
 The last category is ―Innovation Ecosystem‖ which includes business dynamism and innovation capability.
 Highlights - Singapore has become the world's most competitive economy in 2019, pushing the US to the
second place.
 Hong Kong SAR is ranked 3rd, Netherlands 4th and Switzerland 5th.
 China is ranked 28th(the highest ranked among the BRICS).
 The presence of many competitive countries in Asia-Pacific makes this region the most competitive in the
world.
 This is followed closely by Europe and North America.
 India has moved down 10 places to rank 68thamong 141 countries on the global competitiveness index.
 It is among the worst-performing BRICS nations along with Brazil (ranked even lower than India at 71 stthis
year).
 In the overall ranking, India is followed by some of its neighbours including Sri Lanka at 84th place,
Bangladesh at 105th, Nepal at 108th and Pakistan at 110th place.

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 A number of similarly-placed economies including Colombia, South Africa and Turkey improved over the past
year and hence have overtaken India.
 The study highlighted that the global economy is unprepared for a major slowdown.

5. Multidimensional Poverty Index 2019


 MPI is a measure that takes into account the incidence of poverty and the extent of deprivation.
 It is calculated by Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative and United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP).
 The MPI value ranges between 0 and 1 and the value of 1 indicates the highest deprivation level, while 0
indicates the lowest.
 It has been calculated for 105 developing
economies.
 MPI is the product of the following factors
1. Poverty rate as a percentage of the population.
2. Intensity as the average share of deprivations
that poor people experience.
 If someone is deprived in a third or more of 10
weighted indicators, the global index identifies
them as ―MPI poor‖.
 India has reduced its poverty rate from 55% to 28%
in 10 years according to a new version of the global
Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report 2018.
 India‘s MPI stood at 0.121 in 2016, half of what it was in 2006.
 India‘s MPI is lower than the global average of 0.159 and the South Asian countries but higher than BRICS
countries (excluding Russia).
 According to the report Bihar was the poorest state in 2015-16, with more than half its population in poverty.
 The four poorest states of India according to the report are Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya
Pradesh.

6. Global Hunger Index2019


 The 14thGlobal Hunger Index (GHI) 2019 was released recently and it had ranked India a lowly 102 among
the 117 countries it had mapped.
 The GHI has been brought out almost every year by Welthungerhilfe (lately in partnerships with Concern
Worldwide) since 2000.
 A low score gets a country a higher ranking which implies a better performance.
 The reason for mapping hunger is to ensure that the world achieves ―Zero Hunger by 2030‖ - one of the
Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

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 Four indicators of GHI -


1. Undernourishment (which reflects inadequate food availability)
2. Child Wasting (which reflects acute under nutrition)
3. Child Stunting (which reflects chronic under nutrition)
4. Child Mortality (which reflects both inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environment)
 Each country‘s data are standardised on a 100-point scale and a final score is calculated after giving 33.33%
weight each to components 1 and 4, and giving 16.66% weight each to components 2 and 3.
 Highlights - In 2018, India was ranked 103 among the 119 countries were mapped.
 The rank is one better in 2019 i.e. at 102, but in reality, India is not better off in comparison to the other
countries.
 The GHI slots countries on a scale ranging from ‗low‘, ‗moderate‘, ‗serious‘, ‗alarming‘ to ‗extremely alarming‘
hunger levels.
 India is one of the 47 countries that have ‗serious‘ levels of hunger.
 On the whole, the 2019 GHI report has found that,
 Number of hungry people has risen from 785 million (2015) to 822 million.
 Multiple countries have higher hunger levels now than in 2010.
 Approximately 45 countries are set to fail to achieve ‗low‘ levels of hunger by 2030.
 Among the BRICS grouping, India is ranked the worst, with China at 25.
 Within South Asia, India is behind Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
 Some of the other countries ahead of India are Saudi Arabia (rank 34), Venezuela (rank 65), Lesotho (rank 79)
and North Korea (rank 92).

7. Global Gender Gap Index 2019-20


 The Global Gender Gap Index for the year 2020 was released by World Economic Forum.
 Iceland, Norway, and Finland occupy the top three spots in the Report. Yemen ranked at the last place (153rd).
 India has ranked 112thamong 153 countries, slipped four places from the previous year ranking.
 Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and China are ranked at 50, 101, 102 and 106respectively. Pakistan is ranked at
151.
 It measures progress towards parity between men and women in –
1. Economy
2. Education
3. Health &
4. Political representation.
 The index lies between 0 and 1, with 1 denoting complete parity and 0, complete inequality.
 Key Findings - The largest gender disparity is in political empowerment.
 Only 25% of the total seats in parliaments around the world are occupied by women, and only 21% of the
ministers are women.
 By following the current trends, the overall global gender gap will close in 99.5 years.
 It can potentially be closed 71.5 years in South Asia.
 Globally, the average distance completed to gender parity is at 68.6%, which is an improvement since last
edition.
 India -Ranked 18thin political empowerment and 4th in the number of years a female or a male ruled a
state.

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 Ranked in the bottom-five in terms of women's health and survival and economic participation.
 On health and survival, four large countries such as Pakistan, India, Vietnam and China fare badly with
millions of women not getting the same access to health as men.
 It has closed two-thirds of its overall gender gap (score of 66.8%)

8. Gender Social Norms Index


 It was released recently by United Nations Development Programme
 It measures how social beliefs affect gender equality.
 According to the report, nearly 90% of men and women hold some form of bias against women.
 And it was found that people‘s gendered beliefs do impact women‘s rights and equality.

9. A New era For Girls Report


 ‗A New era for girls: Taking stock on 25 years of progress is a report recently unveiled by UNICEF, Plan
International and United Nations Women.
 The report reveals that though the rate of drop-outs for girls in schools has decreased from 20% to 13.5% from
2008 to 2018, a greater empowerment has not taken place.
 It also states that many girls still face an unequal violent environment and one in every 20 girls in the age
group of 15-20 has experienced rape, both within and outside marriage.
 According to the report Gender disparities in the number of out-of-school children have narrowed
substantially over the past two decades.
 At the secondary level, they have shifted to the disadvantage of boys.
 Still, despite the remarkable gains made for girls in the past two decades, they are still more disadvantaged at
the primary level, with 5.5 million more girls than boys of this age out of school worldwide.
 The report mentions a term called ―learning crisis‖; this means, even when girls are in school, many do not
receive a quality education.

10. Ease of Doing Business Index 2019


 It is being released as part of the World Bank every year.
 It was introduced in 2004 and this year with the theme ―Doing Business 2018: Reforming to Create Jobs‖.
 The ranking of country is based on index averages the country‘s percentile rankings on 10 indicators each
having equal weightage.
 The indicators are -
1. Ease of starting business
2. Getting electricity
3. Dealing with construction permits
4. Registering property
5. Protecting investors
6. Access to credit
7. Employing workers
8. Trading across borders
9. Paying taxes
10. Enforcing contracts &
11. Resolving insolvency

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 A higher ranking of country in this list means that its regulatory environment is more conducive and
favourable for the starting and operation of firms.
 According to the report, New Zealand retained its 1st position followed by Singapore, Hong Kong and
Denmark.
 Somalia was ranked at 190th spot.
 India ranks at63rdamong 190 countries, moved 14 places from the previous year (77 th rank in 2018).
 The report assesses improvement in ease of doing business environment in Delhi and Mumbai.
 In the last 5 years, India‘s ranking has improved 79 places - to 63 in 2019 from 142 in 2014.
 Status in individual parameter ranking –
i. Biggest jump in ―resolving insolvency" category (to 52nd rank from 108th)
ii. Improved substantially in Dealing with Construction Permits (to 27th from 52nd) and ―Trading across
Borders" (to 68th from 80th).
iii. Improved in ―Registering Property" to 154th rank from 166th despite a drop-in score
iv. Deteriorated in ―protecting minority investors" (from 7th to 13th position) and ―getting electricity"
(from 22nd to 25th).
v. Ranking remained unchanged in ―enforcing contracts" at 163rd

11. Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index


 The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) is produced by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
 It measures the factors and policies that make a country a viable place to invest within the Travel and Tourism
sector.
 India has secured 34th place in the Index.
 Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has taken several steps for creation of tourism infrastructure in the
country to promote tourism such as
1. Swadesh Darshan - Integrated Development of Theme-Based Tourist Circuits
2. PRASHAD- Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive.
3. The Adopt a Heritage “ApniDharohar, ApniPehchaan” – it is a collaborative effort by Ministry of
Tourism, Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), State/UTs Governments, envisages
developing heritage sites and making them tourist friendly, to enhance tourism potential and cultural
importance in a planned and phased manner.

12. International Migrant Stock 2019


 The International Migrant Stock 2019, a dataset released by the Population Division of the UN Department of
Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
 It provides the latest estimates of the number of
international migrants by age, sex and origin for all
countries of the world.
 According to the data, there are 51,54,737
international migrants
1. India has emerged as the leading country of
origin for immigrants across the world, with
17.5 million international migrants in 2019
coming from India.
2. Of the international migrants in India in 2019,
the country of origin for 31 lakh or just over
60% was Bangladesh.
3. Another 21% were originally from Pakistan and

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10% from Nepal.


 The data encompass any person who moved across an international border, either intentionally or
involuntarily.
 The international migrant population across all countries is 27.2 crore, who represent 3.5% of the total global
population.
1. Of these 27.2 crore, 1.75 crore are Indian migrants living in various countries.
 The proportion of women among international migrants in India is at 48.8%, which is higher than the 47.9%
proportion of women among international migrants across countries.
 Increase in global number of international migrants continues to outpace growth of the world‘s population.
 In 2019, regionally,
1. Europe hosts the largest number of international migrants (82 million), followed by
2. Northern America (59 million) and
3. Northern Africa and Western Asia (49 million).
 At the country level, about half of all international migrants reside in just 10 countries,
1. The United States hosting the largest number of international migrants (51 million), equal to about 19% of
the world‘s total.
 In terms of age, 1 out of every 7 international migrants is below the age of 20 years.
1. 3 out of every 4 international migrants are of working age (20-64 years).

13. Social Mobility Index


 Social Mobility Index is newly compiled, released by the World Economic Forum ahead of the 50th Annual
Meeting of the WEF.
 The Index measures countries across five key dimensions distributed over 10 pillars — health; education
(access, quality and equity); technology; work (opportunities, wages, conditions); and protections and
institutions (social protection and inclusive institutions).
 The Index shows that fair wages, social protection and lifelong learning are the biggest drags on social mobility
globally; the Index is topped by Denmark.
 India ranks 76thout of 82 economies, the areas of improvement for India include social protection (76th)
and fair wage distribution (79th), It ranks 41st in lifelong learning and 53rd in working conditions.
 The Areas of improvement for India include social protection (76th) and fair wage distribution (79th).
 The top five are all Scandinavian, while the five economies with the most to gain from boosting social mobility
are China, the United States, India, Japan and Germany.

14. World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2020


 UN International Labour Organization (ILO) releases WESO report annually.
 The report analyses key labour market issues, including unemployment, labour underutilization, working
poverty, income inequality, labour Income share and factors that exclude people from decent work.
 According to the recent report global unemployment is projected to increase by around 2.5 million in 2020
and almost half a billion people are working fewer paid works than they would like or lack adequate access to
paid work.

15. Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey


 The Global Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) Programme was developed by UNICEF in the 1990s.
 It collects internationally comparable data on a wide range of indicators on the situation of children and
women for use in policies, programmes, and national development plans.

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 MICS is designed to collect statistically sound, internationally comparable estimates of about 130 indicators to
assess the situation of children, women and men in the areas of health, education, and child protection.
 It is a rich source of data on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), collecting about 33 SDG indicators.
 It covers topics and indicators related to children‘s well-being, women, and households, ranging from health
and education to child protection and water and sanitation.
 In the most recent rounds of MICS, additional data are also collected on men.
 Data can be disaggregated for young people age 15-24 and by gender.
 MICS 2019 is jointly conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and UNICEF.
 According to the report Bangladesh records sharp decline in Child malnutrition over the last six years.
 The survey also records improvement in access to and use of toilets, birth registration, ante-natal care
coverage, institutional deliveries and similar other parameters indicating an overall improvement in child and
mother health in the country.

16. Sustainability Index and Flourishing Index 2020


 Sustainability index and Flourishing Index report is commissioned by the WHO, UNICEF and the Lancet
assess the capacity of 180 countries on the issue.
 India ranked 77thon a sustainability index that takes into account per capita carbon emissions and ability of
children in a nation to live healthy lives.
 Under the Sustainability Index, the authors noted that promoting today‘s national conditions for children to
survive and thrive must not come at the cost of eroding future global conditions for children‘s ability to
flourish.
 The Sustainability Index ranks countries on excess carbon emissions compared with the 2030 target.
 This provides a convenient and available proxy for a country‘s contribution to sustainability in future.
 It secures 131stspot on a Flourishing Index that measures the best chance at survival and well-being for
children.
 Flourishing is the geometric mean of Surviving and Thriving.
 For Surviving, the authors selected maternal survival, survival in children younger than 5 years old, suicide,
access to maternal and child health services, basic hygiene and sanitation, and lack of extreme poverty.
 For Thriving, the domains were educational achievement, growth and nutrition, reproductive freedom, and
protection from violence.
 According to the report world‘s survival depended on children being able to flourish, but no country is doing
enough to give them a sustainable future.
 Norway leads the table for survival, health, education and nutrition rates - followed by South Korea and the
Netherlands. Central African Republic, Chad and Somalia come at the bottom.

17. Social Institutions and Gender Index 2019 Global Report


 It is prepared by the Organization for economic cooperation and development (OECD).
 Sweden tops the chart by having low gender discrimination.
 According to it, gender-based discrimination, including female genital mutilation, reproductive rights, pay
gaps, and gender violence, were estimated to cost $6 trillion, or 7.5 percent of the global economy.
 Women also occupy less than a third of senior positions in the civil service on average.
 But they make up 75% of part time workers in the public sector.

18. Services Trade Restrictiveness Index


 STRI is released by Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

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 It was launched in 2014 and it ranks countries (both OECD and non-OECD) based on their services trade
policies.
 The index is now available for 2018 for a total of 45 economies and 22 sectors.
 It has placed Indian service sector as highly restrictive in areas such as FDI.
 India has found problems with the current method under which index is being calculated.

19. International Intellectual Property Index 2020


 International Intellectual Property Index is released by Global Innovation Policy Center or GIPC of the US
Chambers of Commerce.
 India has been ranked 40thout of 53 countries on a global intellectual property index 2020.
 India was placed at 36thposition among 50 countries in 2019.
 India's score, however, increased from 36.04 per cent (16.22 out of 45) in 2019 to 38.46% (19.23 out of 50) in
2020, a 2.42 per cent jump in absolute score.
 However, India's relative score increased by 6.71 per cent.
 Since the release of the 2016 National IPR Policy, India has improved the speed of processing for patent and
trademark applications, increased awareness of IP rights among Indian innovators and creators, and
facilitated the registration and enforcement of those rights, it added.
 The Index specifically highlights a number of reforms over the last year that strengthen India's overall IP
ecosystem.
 According to GIPC‘s report India also continues to score well in the Systemic Efficiency indicator, scoring
ahead of 28 other economies in these indicators.
 To continue this upward trajectory, much work remains to be done to introduce transformative changes to
India's overall IP framework and take serious steps to consistently implement strong IP standards," the report
said.
 GIPC has identified several challenges for India, prominent among them being
1. Patentability requirements,
2. Patent enforcement,
3. Compulsory licensing,
4. Patent opposition,
5. Regulatory data protection,
6. transparency in reporting seizures by customs,
7. Singapore Treaty of Law of TMs
8. Patent Law Treaty.

20. Global Health Security Index 2019


 The Global Health Security Index is the first comprehensive assessment of health security and related
capabilities in 195 countries.
 It assesses 195 countries across six categories - prevention, early detection, rapid response, health system
quality, standards, and the risk environment.
 It is a project of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health
Security (CHS), with research by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
 In this Index, India was ranked 57thout of 195 countries with a score of 46.5 out of 100.
 The United States (US) topped the list globally, overall with a score of 83.5, followed by United Kingdom
(77.9) and Netherlands (75.6).

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 Global Health Security Index finds that no country is adequately prepared to deal with the new strain of
coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that is causing worldwide panic.

21. World Air Quality Report 2019


 World Air Quality Report is released by the pollution tracker IQAir and
Greenpeace.
 The ranking is based on a comparison of PM 2.5 levels.
 21 of the world's 30 cities with the worst air pollution are in India
 Ghaziabad was the most polluted city in the world last year, based on
average PM 2.5 levels.
 But there were some improvements.
 It says that every city in India where data was recorded, except Nagpur,
saw a decrease in PM 2.5 levels last year.
 Delhi (98.6) topped the rankings in the list of most polluted capital
cities in the world for the second consecutive year.
 The least polluted capital city was Nassau, Bahamas (3.3).
 In the Central and South Asia region, which includes India, only 0.7% of the cities met the WHO‘s PM 2.5
target (10µg/m3) in 2019.
 In India none of the cities met the target.
 PM 2.5 includes pollutants such as sulfate, nitrates and black carbon. Exposure to such particles has been
linked to lung and heart disorders and can impair cognitive and immune functions.

22. Business-to-Consumer E-commerce index


 It is published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
 It ranks countries on their readiness to engage in online commerce
 It has been topped by Netherlands for the second consecutive year, followed by Switzerland, Singapore,
Finland.
 European nations hold eight of the top 10 spots on the index.
 The only non-European countries on the top 10 list are Singapore (3) and Australia (10).
 India ranks at 73rdout of 152 countries, slightly improving its position from 80 in 2018 and 83 in 2017.

23. World Water Development Report


 The United Nations World Water Development Report is UN-Water‘s flagship report on water and sanitation
issues, focusing on a different theme each year.
 The report is published by UNESCO, on behalf of UN-Water and its production is coordinated by the UNESCO
World Water Assessment Programme.
 Launched in conjunction with World Water Day, the report provides decision-makers with knowledge and
tools to formulate and implement sustainable water policies.
 According to the report, Climate change will not only strain water-stressed countries, but also create similar
problems in regions that have not been severely affected so far.

24. Statement of the State of the Global Climate in 2019 Report


 Record-high temperatures, cyclones in the Indian Ocean, erratic rainfall patterns leading floods in several
parts of India - these are among the concerns highlighted by the United Nation's World Meteorological
Organization (WMO) report released recently.

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 According to the report titled Statement of the State of the Global Climate in 2019, record-high temperatures
were reported in India, Australia, Japan and Europe in 2019, adversely affecting public health.
 India was among the most severely affected by heat waves, the report noted.
 Between May and June 2019, very high temperatures were observed.

25. World Climate and Security Report 2020


 The impact of climate change on water will increase the risk to global security in the next decade, according to
a group of international security and military professionals.
 The International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) administered a survey in December 2019
to assess the perceptions of climate security risks among 56 security and military experts and practitioners
from across the globe.
 The perception analysis was published in a World Climate and Security report, which claimed to be first of its
kind.
 According to the report, 93 per cent military experts perceived climate change effects on water security would
present significant or higher risks to global security by 2030.
 About 91% perceived those risks would turn severe or catastrophic by 2040.

26. Corruption Perceptions Index


 The Corruption Perceptions Index is an index published annually by Transparency International since 1995.
 It ranks countries "by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, as determined by expert assessments
and opinion surveys.
 The 2019 CPI draws on 13 surveys and expert assessments to measure public sector corruption in 180
countries and territories, giving each a score from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
 In the last eight years, out of 159 countries taken up for assessment only 22 countries significantly improved
their CPI scores.
 India‘s ranking in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI-2019) has slipped from 78 to 80 compared to the
previous year.
 In democracies like India and Australia, unfair and opaque political financing, undue influence in decision-
making and lobbying by powerful corporate interest groups, has resulted in stagnation or decline in the
control of corruption, observed the report.
 The latest CPI report has revealed that a majority of countries are showing little to no improvement in tackling
corruption.

27. Democracy Index 2019


 The Economist Intelligence Unit releases democracy Index annually.
 It provides a snapshot of the state of world democracy for 165 independent states and two territories.
 The Index is based on five categories:
1. Electoral process and pluralism.
2. Civil liberties.
3. Functioning of government.
4. Political participation.
5. Political culture.
 Based on the scores on 60 indicators within these categories, each country is then itself classified as one of
four types of regime
1. Full democracy
2. Flawed democracy

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3. Hybrid regime
4. Authoritarian regime.
 In 2019, India slipped 10 places to 51stposition, It is placed in the ―flawed democracy‖ category.
 Its score, down from from 7.23 in 2018 to 6.90 in 2019, is its lowest ever since the Democracy Index was
begun in 2006.
 The report mentioned the stripping of Jammu and Kashmir‘s special status with the repeal of Articles 370 and
35A, the various security measures that followed the bifurcation of the state including restriction of Internet
access, and the exclusion of 1.9 million people from the final NRC (National Register of Citizens) in Assam,
eroded civil liberties in the nation.

28. United in Science Report


 The report was compiled by WMO under the umbrella of the Science Advisory Group of the UN Climate
Summit.
 It stated that global temperatures have increased by 1.1°C since 1850, and have spiked 0.2°C between 2011 and
2015.
 In 2018, the annual growth in CO2 emissions soared 2% and reached a record high of 37 billion tonnes.
 The current levels of CO2, methane and Nitrous oxide represent 146%, 257 % and 122% respectively of
preindustrial levels.
 Moreover, the average global temperatures from 2015-2019 are also on track to be the warmest five-year
period on record.
 The increasing climate change has also accelerated sea-level rise, and made oceans more acidic than ever
before.
 Global sea-levels increased to approximately 4 mm/yr during 2007-2016, from 3.04 mm/yr during 1997-
2006.
 Rise in CO2 levels, meanwhile, are responsible for the growing acidity in the oceans.
 Oceans are a major source of carbon sink. They store nearly 25 % of the annual human induced CO2
emissions.
 The report also recorded a decline in Arctic sea ice by 12 % per decade from 1979-2018.
 Antarctic ice sheet lost at least six-fold amount of ice annually between 1979 and 2017.
 Report suggested that, to combat the impacts of climate change, there is a need to triple the ‗Nationally
determined contributions‘(NDCs).
 It highlights the urgent need for development of concrete actions that halt global warming and the worst
effects of climate change.

29. World Malaria Report


 World Malaria Report 2019 was recently released by the World Health Organization (WHO).
 Malaria is mainly caused by Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax parasites.
 It is transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
 Malaria is transmitted by blood, so it can also be transmitted throughan organ transplant, a transfusion and
use of shared needles or syringes.
 It is preventable and curable.
 Report Highlights – Plasmodium falciparum is the most prevalent malaria parasite in the African, South-
East Asia, Eastern Mediterranean, Western Pacific region.
 Plasmodium Vivax is the predominant parasite in American region and its burden is high in South-East asia
region with the majority being in India.
 19 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and India accounted for 85 per cent of the global malaria burden in 2018.

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 Globally, malaria cases reported in 2018 is marginally lower than the number of cases in 2017.
 Africa and India saw the maximum dip in malaria cases between 2017 and 2018, but they still accounted for
85 per cent deaths.
 Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Republic of Tanzania, Angola, Mozambique and Niger
reported higher number of cases in the African region.
 The African region accounted for 94% of all malarial deaths
 India (58%), Indonesia (21%) and Myanmar (12%) accounted for the total reported deaths in the region.
 Status of India -It is the highest burden country in the South-East Asia region.
 Ithas one of the lowest funding per person at risk of being inflicted with malaria at just US$0.2.
 It showed a reduction in reported cases of 51 per cent compared to 2017 and of 60 per cent compared to 2016.
 In the South-East Asia region, the major challenges remain decreased funding, treatment failures and vector
resistance to pyrethroids, the insectides used against the vectors.

30. Global Wealth Report


 The 10th edition of annual Global Wealth Report was released by the Credit Suisse Group, a Switzerland-based
multinational investment bank.
 It tracks both the growth and distribution of wealth both in terms of the numbers of millionaires and
billionaires and the status of inequality around the world.
 Wealth is defined in terms of ―net worth‖ of an individual which is calculated by adding up the value of
financial assets (such as money) and real assets (such as houses) and then subtracting any debts an individual
may have.
 Key findings - China has overtaken the US to become the country with most people in the top 10% of global
wealth distribution.
 Just 47 million people, accounting for merely 0.9% of the world‘s adult population owned $158.3 trillion,
which is almost 44% of the world‘s total wealth.
 In inequality, the richest 10% own 82% of global wealth and the top 1% alone own 45%.

31. Misery Index


 Recently, there has been a demand to measure Indian economy on ‗Misery Index‘.
 The first misery index was created by Arthur Okun in 1960‘s and was equal to the sum of inflation and
unemployment rate figures to provide a snapshot of the US economy.
 The higher the index, the more is the misery felt by average citizens.
 It has broadened in recent times to include other economic indicators, such as bank lending rates.
 In recent times, variations of the original misery index have become popular as a means to gauge the overall
health of the global economy.
 A variation of the original misery index is the Bloombergmisery index, developed by the online publication.

32. International Religious Freedom Report


 International Religious Freedom report is an annual report released by the US Commission on International
Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
 USCIRF is a bipartisan, independent federal government commission, created by the International Religious
Freedom Act of 1998.
 The report describes threats to religious freedom around the world and recommends to the State Department
countries for designation as ―countries of particular concern‖ (CPCs) for engaging in or tolerating ―systematic,
ongoing, egregious violations.‖

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 USCIRF also recommends to the State Department that non-state actors cited for similarly severe violations
be designated as ―entities of particular concern‖ (EPCs).
 According to the report India is facing declining religious freedom, apart from increased securitization and
politicization of religion.
 India continues to remain a Tier II country of the list, Tier II countries are those in which violations engaged
in or tolerated by the government are serious and characterized by at least one of the elements of systematic,
ongoing, and egregious (horrible)‘.

33. Freedom in the World Report 2020


 It is released by Freedom House, a US-based watchdog.
 It ranks India at the 83rd position, along with Timor-Leste and Senegal.
 This is near the bottom of the pile among the countries categorised as ―Free‖, with only Tunisia receiving a
lower score.
 India‘s score fell by four points to 71, the worst decline among the world‘s 25 largest democracies this year.
 Top 5 Countries: Finland, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are the top five countries in
the free category.
 Bottom 5 Countries: Botswana, Peru, India, Timor-Leste and Tunisia.

34. Henley Passport Index


 Henley and Partners, a London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm, prepares the Henley
Passport Index.
 It ranks passports based on their power and mobility.
 The index gathers data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that manages inter-airline
cooperation globally.
 It is updated in real time according to countries‘ visa policy changes and it covers 227 destinations and 199
passports.
 It ranked India at 86, down 5 places from 81 in 2018.
 Last year, an Indian passport holder had visa-free access to 60 countries. this year, it is down to 58.
 A value of 1 is attributed to the score,
1. Based on the sum of number of countries accessible by that passport holder without requiring pre-
departure government approval for visa-types.
2. It includes a visitor‘s permit, visa on arrival or an electronic travel authority (ETA).
3. For instance in 2019, India‘s score is 58, which means an Indian passport holder has a visa-free access to
58 countries.
4. India ranks 86 in the list.
 A value of 0 is attributed to a score when,
1. A passport holder has to seek pre-departure government approval for visa-types including e-visa.
 Japan and Singapore, are ranked 1 and have a score of 189.
 Afghanistan holds the weakest passport, with a score and ranking of 25 and 109, respectively.
 Syria and Pakistan follow with rankings of 107 and 106 and scores of 29 and 30, respectively.
 The index assumes only the passport of citizen of country and it is not for diplomatic, emergency or temporary
in nature.
Other Passport Index
 Arton Passport Index, which ranks United Arab Emirates‘s passport at rank 1.

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 As per this index,


1. India has a mobility score (MS) of 67
2. Visa required for 131 destinations,
3. visa on arrival required for 41 destinations and
4. 26 visa free destinations.
 It uses UNDP HDI 2018 in its methodology to rank passports.
 It is powered by Arton Capital, a global financial advisory.

35. QS Indian University Rankings


 The second edition of QS Indian University Rankings for India‘s higher education institutions was released
recently.
 QS, the global higher education think tank,
releases India specific university rankings.
 The rankings include Public Universities,
Private Universities and deemed
universities.
 The ranking looks into the Indian university
system with an international lens.
 The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs)
dominate the list, with seven IITs figuring in
the top ten rankings.
 Like last year, IIT-Bombay leads followed by
the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
 8 indicators were used to determine rankings –
i. Academic reputation
ii. Employer reputation
iii. Faculty-student ratio
iv. The proportion of staff with a PhD
v. Papers per faculty from Scopus database
vi. Citations per paper from Scopus database
vii. The proportion of international students and
viii. The proportion of international faculty (2.5%).
 These India rankings do not necessarily match the QS World University Rankings since it uses different
criteria.
 In world university ranking, IIT-Bombay has been ranked the best Indian institution and IIT-Delhi the second
best.

36. SDG India Index


 SDG India Index is a single measurable Index to map the progress of States & UTs towards 2030 SDGs.
 The index is released by NITI Aayog, it is developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics
&Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
 NITI Aayog has the twin mandate to oversee the implementation of SDGs in the country, and also promote
Competitive and Cooperative Federalism among States and UTs.
 The SDG India Index tracks the progress of all States and UTs on 62 Priority Indicators selected by NITI
Aayog, which in turn is guided by MoSPI‘s National Indicator Framework.

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 Through which a composite score was computed between the range of 0-100 for each State and UT based on
their aggregate performance across 13 SDGs, which indicates the average performance of State/UT towards
achieving 13 SDGs & their respective targets.
 If a State/UT achieves a score of 100, it signifies that it has achieved the 2030 national targets.
 The higher the score of a State/UT, the greater the distance to the target achieved.
 Classification Criteria based on SDG India Index Score is as follows:
1. Aspirant: 0-49
2. Performer: 50-64
3. Front Runner: 65-99
4. Achiever: 100

37. SARAL
 Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, launched the ‗State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index‘ (SARAL).
 SARAL has been designed collaboratively by,
1. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE),
2. Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF),
3. Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and
4. Ernst & Young (EY).
 It has been developed to evaluate Indian states based on their attractiveness for rooftop development.
 It is the first of its kind index to provide a comprehensive overview of state-level measures adopted to facilitate
rooftop solar deployment.
 It currently captures 5 key aspects,
1. Robustness of policy framework
2. Implementation environment
3. Investment climate
4. Consumer experience
5. Business ecosystem
 It encourages each state to assess the initiatives taken so far, and what it can do to improve its solar rooftop
ecosystem.
 This will help states to channelize investments that can eventually help the sector grow.
 In is also to create more conducive environment for solar rooftop installations and lead to accelerated growth
of the sector.
 The Ministry has set a target of 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, in that 100 GW solar power is
to be operational by 2022, of which 40 GW is expected to come from grid connected solar rooftops.
 Karnataka has been placed at the first rank in the Index followed by Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

38. Composite Water Management Index


 The index is developed by NITI Aayog and it ranked states on how well they managed water.
 It is released by the Ministry of Water Resources.
 It comprises 9 broad sectors with 28 different indicators covering various aspects of groundwater, restoration
of water bodies, irrigation, farm practices, drinking water, policy and governance.
 According to the recent report, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh have managed water resources
efficiently.

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 Meghalaya, Uttarakhand and Nagaland are the bottom three states in the index.
 While Tripura has emerged as top performer in north-east, Rajasthan has emerged as the best performer in
the incremental progress over last two years.
 Some of the other important findings from the recent report are,
1. India is facing its ―worst‖ water crisis in history and that the demand for potable water will outstrip
supply by 2030, if steps are not taken.
2. 21 cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, will run out of groundwater by 2020,
affecting 100 million people.
3. Critical groundwater resources, which accounted for 40% of the water supply, are being depleted at
―unsustainable‖ rates and up to 70% of the supply is ―contaminated‖.

39. India Justice Report 2019


 The report was recently released by Tata Trusts.
 It is based on the four pillars of justice delivery such as police, judiciary, prisons and legal aid.
 It collects data from publicly available data of different government entities.
 It covered the themes like infrastructure, human resources, diversity (gender, SC/ST/OBC), budgets, workload
and trends over the last 5 years.
 Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, DAKSH, TISS- Prayas
and Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy are other partners.
 Key findings – The country has about 18,200 judges with about 23% sanctioned posts vacant.
 Maharashtra has topped the list of states in delivering justice to people followed by Kerala, Tamil Nadu,
Punjab and Haryana.
 Among the small states, Goa has topped the list followed by Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh.
 Smaller States are the ones where population is less than 1 crore each.

40. India Internet 2019


 Internet And Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) released the report ―India Internet 2019‖.
 Internet penetration is defined as number of individuals aged above 12 per 100 population who accessed the
Internet during a particular period.
 According to the report, Internet penetration
rate is highest in DelhiNCR (69%) followed by
Kerala (54%).
 The lowest penetration rate was in Odisha (25),
Jharkhand (26) and Bihar (28).
 It also notes that Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Delhi
have the highest proportion of female Internet
users.
 In terms of Internet subscriptions per 100
population, Delhi, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh
and Kerala topped the list.
 The lowest subscriptions are from Bihar and Uttar
Pradesh.
 Kerala is among States with a huge gap between the number of rural and urban Internet connections. This is
also the case in Delhi and Himachal Pradesh.

41. Good Governance Index


 The index was launched to assess the state of governance in the country.

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 The rankings were launched by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, and the
Centre for Good Governance.
 The objectives of GGI are to provide quantifiable data to compare the state of governance in all States and
UTs.
 It enables them to formulate and implement suitable strategies for improving governance and shift to result
oriented approaches and administration.
 It takes into account 10 sectors –
1. Agriculture and Allied Sectors,
2. Commerce & Industries,
3. Human Resource Development,
4. Public Health,
5. Public Infrastructure & Utilities,
6. Economic Governance,
7. Social Welfare & Development,
8. Judicial & Public Security,
9. Environment and
10. Citizen-Centric Governance.
 The states and UTs are divided into three groups -- big states,
north-east & Hill states and UTs.
 Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and
Andhra Pradesh topped among the ‗Big States‘.Odisha, Bihar,
Goa, and UP, are poor performers.
 Among the North-East and Hill States, Himachal Pradesh
Uttarakhand, Tripura, Mizoram and Sikkim are top
performers.
 J&K, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh are poor performers.
 Puducherry is the best governed Union Territory followed by Chandigarh and Delhi. Lakshadweep is the worst
performing UT.

42. State Energy Efficiency Index 2019


 ‗State Energy Efficiency Index 2019‘, tracks the progress of Energy Efficiency (EE) initiatives in 36 states and
union territories based on 97 significant indicators.
 Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) develops the index in association with Alliance for an Energy Efficient
Economy (AEEE).
 It will help states contribute towards national goals on energy security and climate action by helping drive EE
policies and program implementation at the state and local level, tracking progress in managing the states‘
and India‘s energy footprint and institutionalizing the data capture and monitoring of EE activities by states.
 The first such Index, the ―State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index 2018‖, was launched on August 1, 2018.
 New indicators for this year include adoption of Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) 2017, energy
efficiency in MSME clusters, etc.
 For rational comparison, States/UTs are grouped into four groups based on aggregated Total Primary Energy
Supply (TPES) required to meet the state‘s actual energy demand (electricity, coal, oil, gas, etc.) across sectors.
 TPES grouping shall help states compare performance and share best practices within their peer group.

43. Annual Status of Education Report (ASER)


 ASER is released annually by education non-profit Pratham.

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 The report is based on a survey conducted in 26 districts across 24 states; it also highlights a gender gap in
schooling.
 Recent estimates shows that only 37.4% of kids below six are able to recognize at least letters and only 25.6%
can do additions, the survey has found
 The government-run preschool system is losing out to private schools in terms of enrolment.
 The lack of age-appropriate skills is alarming as this gap at an early age can impact the entire education supply
chain in India.
 The report underlined the need to focus on the early years to improve the basics of education
 The study also showed how a better education level among mothers can lead to better outcomes among
children in preschools and early schools.
 The findings also showed that more girls are enrolled in government institutions and more boys in private
institutions.
 The gap in enrolment between boys and girls is larger among 6-8 year olds, with 61.1% of all girls versus 52.1%
of all boys in this age group going to a government institution.
 It is to be noted that in India government preschool system is managed through the Centre‘s Integrated Child
Development scheme, under the ministry of women and child development, while schools come under the
education ministries at the Centre and in the states.

44. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health Report


 The report gives a comprehensive estimates of disease burden due to malnutrition and its trends in every state
of India.
 According to the report, two-thirds of the 1.04 million deaths in
children under 5 years in India are due to malnutrition.
1. The overall under-five death rate due to malnutrition has
decreased substantially from 1990 to 2017.
2. However, malnutrition is still the underlying risk factor for
68% of the deaths in under-five children in India.
 The Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) rate attributable to
malnutrition in children varies 7-fold among the states.
 The deaths rate range as high as 72.7% in Bihar and a low of
50.8% in Kerala.
 Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh are states with a
high such proportion.
 Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu, Mizoram and Goa have the lowest
proportions of such deaths.
 Among the malnutrition indicators, ‗low birth weight‘ is the largest contributor to child deaths in India.
1. It is followed by child growth failure which includes stunting, underweight, and wasting.
 For substantial improvements across malnutrition indicators, states need to implement an integrated
nutrition policy.

45. India Child Well-Being Report


 The report has been prepared by ‗World Vision India‘ (child-focused humanitarian organisation) and ‗IFMR
LEAD‘ (research organisation) based in India.
 Children are the happiest in Kerala and the least happy in Madhya Pradesh.
 Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Puducherry topped the charts while Meghalaya, Jharkhand
and Madhya Pradesh featured at the bottom.

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 Poor nutrition and low child survival rate has pushed Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh to the bottom of an
index.
 Findings based on a study of 24 data indicators
including,
1. The indicators are a mix of health, education,
human rights, family income and so on.
2. Health indicators such as,
o Stunting and Infant mortality, Under-five
mortality rate,
o Mental health/illnesses, Sex-ratio,
o Adolescent pregnancy (women aged 15 to 19
years who were already mothers or
pregnant),
3. Education indicators such as passing tenth grade,
o The pupil-teacher ratio, basic reading and
math skills, drop-out rates in secondary
school,
4. Crime indicators such as juvenile crimes, suicide rates,
5. Economic indicators such as houselessness, households with income less than Rs 5,000 and
o Labour indicators such as manual scavenging.
6. All indicators were brought to a common scale of measurement and normalised.
 Among the UTs, the National Capital Territories of Delhi scored 0.53, closely followed by Dadra Nagar Haveli
at 0.52.

 The report is important considering that 40% of the country‘s population is made of children between the ages
of 1 and 18.
States/UT Overall Performance
Ranking
46. School Education Quality Index
 The index is jointly released by the NITI Aayog, the Top 3 Bottom 3
Ministry of Human Resource Development, and the World
Bank.
Large States Kerala Punjab
 It is to evaluate the performance of States and UTs in the
school education sector. (20)
Rajasthan J&K
 It assesses States based on learning outcomes, access,
equity and infrastructure and facilities, using survey data, Karnataka UP
self-reported data from States and third-party verification.
 The ranking is based on 30 indicators in 2 broad Manipur Sikkim
categories,
Small States
Tripura Meghalaya
i. Outcomes that consisted of learning, access,
infrastructure & facilities, and equity outcomes (8)
Goa Arunachal
ii. Governance processes aiding outcomes
Pradesh
 Some of the parameters are,
i. The number of schools with the largest number of Chandigarh Daman & Diu
toilets for girl children
UT
ii. The average score of students in mathematics and Dadra & Andaman &
language in classes III, V, and VIII, Nagar Haveli Nicobar
iii. The transition rate of students from primary to
upper primary levels and also from upper primary Delhi Lakshadweep

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levels to secondary level


 It used 2016-17 as the reference year and 2015-16 as the base year.
 Performance of States - Among 20 large States, Kerala was the best performer with a score of 76.6%, while
Uttar Pradesh came in last with a score of 36.4%.
 Among smaller States, Manipur emerged as the best performer, while Chandigarh topped the list of UTs
 Top performers –
i. Tamil Nadu was the top performer in access and equity outcomes
ii. Karnataka led in learning outcomes
iii. Haryana had the best infrastructure and facilities.
 Haryana, Assam and Uttar Pradesh showed the most improvement in their performance.
 Karnataka, along with Uttarakhand, saw the biggest drop.
 West Bengal refused to participate in the evaluation process and has not been included in the rankings.

47. All India Survey on Higher Education 2018-19


 AISHE was initiated in the year 2010-11 by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).
 The main objectives of the survey were to,
1. Identify and capture all the institutions of higher
learning in the country.
2. Collect the data from all the higher education institutions
on various aspects of higher education.
 Data is being collected on several parameters such as,
1. Teachers, student enrolment, programmes,
2. Examination results, education finance, infrastructure.
3. Indicators such as Gross Enrolment Ratio, Pupil-teacher
ratio, Gender Parity Index.
4. These are useful in making informed policy decisions and research for development of education sector.
 AISHE2018-19 showed the gender distribution of students enrolled in various higher education courses in
the country.
 The total estimated student enrolment in the country is 3,73,99,388, out of which 51.36% are male and
48.64% female.
 The ‗Gender ratio‘ is higher on the male side in most courses, but there are exceptions,
1. Female enrolment is higher at M Phil and
Postgraduate.
2. Enrolment at UG level is 51% male and 49% female.
3. Diploma has a highly skewed distribution at 66.8%
male and 33.2% female.
4. At PhD level, male enrolment is 56.18% and female
enrolment is 43.82%.
5. At integrated level, the distribution 57.50% male and
42.50% female.
6. PG Diploma student enrolment is 54.09% male and
45.91% female.
 A higher overall share of male students in enrolment is a
trend also in most of the states.

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 The report is based on voluntary uploading of data by institutions of Higher Education listed in government
portal.

48. Municipal Performance Index 2019


 The index is launched by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
 It aims to assess the performance of municipalities based on five enablers.
 They are Service, Finance, Planning, Technology and Governance which have been further divided into 20
sectors which will be evaluated across 100 indicators.
 This will help Municipalities in better planning and management, filling the gaps in city administration, and
improving the liveability of cities for its citizens.
 All participating cities have appointed nodal officers whose responsibility is to collect and collate the relevant
data points from various departments both within and outside of the ULB.
 Those nodal officers should upload the same along with supporting documents in the exclusive web portal
designed for this purpose.

49. Ease of Living Index


 Ease of Living Index (EoLI) have been launched by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
 It is aimed at providing a holistic view of Indian cities based on
1. The services provided by local bodies,
2. The effectiveness of the administration,
3. The outcomes generated through these services in terms of the liveability within cities
4. The citizen perception of these outcomes.
 The key objectives of the Ease of Living Index are four-folds, viz.
a) Generate information to guide evidence-based policy-making;
b) Catalyse action to achieve broader developmental outcomes including the SDG;
c) Assess and compare the outcomes achieved from various urban policies and schemes.
d) Obtain the perception of citizens about their view of the services provided by the city
administration.
 EoLI 2019 will facilitate the assessment of ease of living of citizens across three pillars: Quality of Life,
Economic Ability and Sustainability which are further divided into 14 categories across 50 indicators.
 It aims to assess the progress made in cities through various initiatives and empower them to use evidence to
plan, implement & monitor their performance.
 These indices are designed to assess the quality of life of citizens in 100 Smart Cities and 14 other Million Plus
Cities.

50. World Happiness Report


 The World Happiness Report is an annual publication of the United Nations Sustainable Development
Solutions Network.
 It is a landmark survey of the state of global happiness that ranks 156 countries by how happy their citizens
perceive themselves to be.
 The World Happiness Report 2020 for the first time ranks cities around the world by their subjective well-
being and digs more deeply into how the social, urban and natural environments combine to affect our
happiness.
 Finland was once again crowned as the world‘s happiest country, extending its lead over Denmark and
Switzerland.

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 According to the report Finland‘s residents enjoy a high quality of life, security and public services, with rates
of inequality and poverty among the lowest of all OECD countries
 As in each of the previous seven reports, Nordic states dominated the top ten, along with countries such as
Switzerland, New Zealand and Austria.
 Luxembourg also edged into the tenth spot for the first time this year.
 India ranks 144 in the ranking
 Meanwhile, the countries at the bottom of this year‘s ranking are those afflicted by violent conflicts and
extreme poverty, with Zimbabwe, South Sudan and Afghanistan classed as the world‘s least happy countries.

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