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 About the Document – Read Me!
The reports and Indices plays a very important role in Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the examinations of
RBI Gr B, NABARD Gr A/B and Phase 1 of SEBI Gr A and must be covered while preparing for the
above mentioned examinations. This document comprises of all the relevant Reports and Indices
from the month of May 2021 and is divided in two sections – First and Second.

First section – is most important for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the examinations of RBI Gr B, NABARD
Gr A/B AND Phase 1 of SEBI Gr A as it contains reports and indices -

• Released by International bodies like IMF, World Bank, United Nations.

• Released by National bodies/Organizations/ Ministries.
• Related to the syllabus topics like Gender Issues, Social Sectors like Health, Education,
Employment generation etc.

Second section– is less important in comparison to above section as per the trend of the
examinations mentioned above, and contains the reports and indices released by Private
organizations (national as well as International). But this does not mean that you should leave it,
you are advised to refer to this part if you have enough time for the exam preparation.

Important Note –

• Latest Reports & Indices that are released 12 to 14 months before the examination month
are relevant, however latest 6 months releases would be the most important for Phase 1 as
well as Phase 2.

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Contents
First Section .............................................................................................................................................................. 4
1.1 Global Report on Food Crisis (GRFC) 2021 ................................................................................................... 4
1.2 The Global Forests Goals Report 2021 ......................................................................................................... 4
1.3 COVID-19 Crisis Through a Migration Lens................................................................................................... 5
1.4 Connected Commerce: Creating a Roadmap for a Digitally Inclusive Bharat .............................................. 6
1.5 Renewable Energy Market Update – Outlook for 2021 and 2022 ............................................................... 7
1.6 Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2021 – Towards post COVID-19 resilient economies . 8
1.7 Nature in a Globalised World: Conflict and Conservation ............................................................................ 8
1.8 Forced Labour, Child Labour and Land Use in India’s Sugar Industry .......................................................... 9
1.9 57th Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) .................................................................... 9
1.10 2021 Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) - Internal displacement in a changing climate ......10
1.11 2020 Human Rights Report.........................................................................................................................11
1.12 Women @ Work- A global outlook ............................................................................................................11
1.13 Environmental Risk Outlook 2021 ..............................................................................................................12
1.14 Global Methane Assessment – Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions ..............................13
1.15 The Global Trade Update (May 2021) ........................................................................................................14
1.16 Business Confidence Survey (May 2021) ....................................................................................................15
1.17 Report of Advisory Committee on Ways and Means Advances to State Government ..............................16
1.18 World Economic Situation and Prospectus Report (Mid 2021)..................................................................17
1.19 WTO Goods Trade Barometer ....................................................................................................................17
Second Section .......................................................................................................................................................18
1.20 State of Working India 2021: One Year of Covid-19 ...................................................................................18
1.21 Prime Global Cities Index (Quarter 1) .........................................................................................................19
1.22 2021 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report .................................................................................................20
1.23 Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and perinatal outcomes .................................................21
1.24 State of Indian Healthcare – Indian cities through the lens of healthcare 2021 ........................................21

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 First Section
1.1 Global Report on Food Crisis (GRFC) 2021
Released by- Global Network Against Food Crisis (GNAFC)
About the report-
• The 2021 annual report is 5th edition which focuses on 55 Countries which account for 97%
of humanitarian assistance.
• The GNAFC is an international alliance formed by the European Union, United Nations and
other governmental and non-governmental agencies.
Key findings of the report-
• More than 155 million people faced acute food insecurity in 2020.
o This is an increase of 20 million people from 2019 level.
o Of this, 133,000 people are under the most severe phase of food insecurity. They are
mostly from Burkina Faso, Yemen and South Sudan.
o 60-80% of the 155 million people facing food shortage depend on agriculture.
• Factors driving food insecurity are:
o Conflict – pushed almost 100 million people, up from 77 million in 2019.
o Economic Shocks – pushed over 40 million people, up by 24 million.
o Weather extremes – pushed over 15 million people, down from 34 million.
• Around 75 million children were stunted and 15 million were wasted globally.
• 63% or around 98 million people facing food insecurity were from African continent.
• Two-thirds of the people facing acute hunger were in 10 countries – Congo, Yemen,
Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Northern Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Zimbabwe and Haiti.
• More than 155,000 people are set to face ‘catastrophe/famine’ through mid-2021, of which
108,000 will be in South Sudan & 47,000 in Yemen.
• More than 28 million people faced emergency level food insecurity in 2020.
o Emergency level means they were one step away from starvation. Urgent actions
prevented famine spreading.
o India does not figure in the list of the countries in which people face food security.
o In the last five years, 39 countries have faced food crisis with the population affected
by food insecurity rising to 147 million from 94 million between 2016 and 2020.

1.2 The Global Forests Goals Report 2021

Released by- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)
About the report-
• This is the inaugural report which presents an overview of progress achieved by countries on
6 Global Forest Goals and their 26 associated targets under the United Nations Strategic
Plan for Forests 2017-2030.
o The 6 goals are as follows:
✓ Reverse Forest Cover Loss
✓ Improve Forest Benefits and Livelihoods
✓ Protect Forests and use sustainable forest products
✓ Mobilise resources

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 ✓ Promote inclusive forest governance
✓ Cooperate and work across the sectors
• The United Nations Strategic Plan for forests was created to promote sustainable forest
management.
o It was to be implemented between 2017 and 2030.
o It targets to increase the forest area in the world by 3% by 2030 i.e. to bring 120
million hectares of land under forest cover.
Key findings of the report-
• COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and biodiversity crisis are the biggest threats to
forests ecosystems.
o COVID-19 is not just a health crisis, rather it is driving losses of lives and livelihoods,
extreme poverty, inequality, and food insecurity.
o The most vulnerable segments of society have turned towards forests for meeting
their essential livelihood needs such as food, fuel, shelter, and protection from the
risks of Covid-19. This has caused stress on the Forest Ecosystem.
o Around 1.6 billion people, or 25% of global population, rely on the forest for their
subsistence needs, livelihoods, employment and income.
o During COVID-19 the forest dependent population faced reduced income, job losses,
diminished access to markets and information along with difficulty in accessing
healthcare and basic services.
• It is estimated that world gross product fell by an estimated 4.3% in 2020.
• The ‘Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’, by
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
has highlighted that 1 million species were at risk of extinction and that 100 million
hectares of tropical forest are lost between 1980-2000.
• Key targets by major countries for forest management:
o Australia: to plant 20 million trees by 2020 and increase this to billion plantations by
2030.
o Brazil: to increase the planted areas to 2 million hectares.
o India: to add 200,000 hectares of tree and forest cover per year.
o Kenya: to increase tree cover by 10%.
o Myanmar: to increase forest cover to 30%.
o Japan: to maintain the 25 million hectares of forest area.
o New Zealand: to plant 1 billion trees by 2028.
o Thailand: to increase forest cover to 55%.
o Sri Lanka: to increase forest cover to 32%.
o Nigeria: to increase forest cover from 6% to 25% by 2030.

1.3 COVID-19 Crisis Through a Migration Lens

Released by- World Bank
About the report- The report sheds light upon the migration and remittance flow along with salient
policy developments in the area of international migration and development.
Key findings of the report-

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Top Remittance Inflow countries
Country Remittance Inflows in 2020
India $83 billion
China $59.5 billion
Mexico $42.8 billion

Top Remittance Outflow countries

Country Remittance Outflows in 2020
USA $68 billion
UAE $43 billion
Saudi Arabia $34.5 billion

• The remittance flows to low-and middle-income countries reached $540 Billion in 2020,
which was 1.6% below the remittance received in 2019 which was $548 billion.
India specific findings:
• India’s remittances in 2020, witnessed a drop of 0.2% from 2019 ($83.3 Billion in 2019).
o India’s decline was due to a 17% drop in remittance from the United Arab Emirates
(UAE).
• Remittances outflow from India in 2020 was $7 billion, against $7.5 billion in 2019.

1.4 Connected Commerce: Creating a Roadmap for a Digitally Inclusive Bharat

Released by- NITI Aayog and Mastercard
About the report-
• FTI Consulting is Research and Curation Partner and NITI Aayog is Knowledge Partner of the
report.
• It identifies the challenges in accelerating digital financial inclusion in India and provides
recommendations for making digital services accessible to 1.3 billion citizens of India.
• It also looks at some key sectors and areas that need digital disruptions to bring financial
services to everyone.
Key findings of the report-
• The key issues discussed during the knowledge series are:
o Acceleration of digital financial inclusion for underserved sections of Indian society.
o Enabling Small and Medium Enterprises to ‘get paid, get capital and get digital’ and
access customers.
o Policy interventions to increase trust & cyber resilience.
o Unlocking the potential of digitization in India’s agriculture sector.
o Essential elements of a digital road to make transit accessible for all citizens.
• Key recommendations in the report include:
o Strengthening the payment infrastructure to promote a level playing field for Non-
Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and banks.
o Digitizing registration and compliance processes and diversifying credit sources to
enable growth opportunities for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
o Building information sharing systems, including a ‘fraud repository’, and ensuring
that online digital commerce platforms carry warnings to alert consumers to the risk
of frauds.

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 o Enabling agricultural NBFCs to access low-cost capital and deploy a ‘phygital’
(physical + digital) model for achieving better long-term digital outcomes.
✓ Digitizing land records will also provide a major boost to the sector.
o To make city transit seamlessly accessible to all with minimal crowding and queues,
leveraging existing smartphones and contactless cards, and aim for an inclusive,
interoperable, and fully open system such as that of the London ‘Tube’.

1.5 Renewable Energy Market Update – Outlook for 2021 and 2022
Released by- International Energy Agency (IEA)
About the report- The report forecasts new global renewable power capacity additions for 2021
and 2022.
Key findings of the report-
• Globally, annual renewable energy capacity additions increased by 45% to almost 280 Giga
Watts (GW) in 2020, up from 190 GW in 2019.
o This is also the highest year-on year increase since 1999.
o 280 GW renewable energy capacity addition in 2020 breakup – Solar (135 GW), Wind
(115 GW), Hydro (20 GW), and 10 GW by other renewables.
o China accounted for more than 50% of green energy projects built in 2020.
• It has projected renewable energy capacity additions of 270 GW in 2021, and 280GW in
2022.
o China’s contribution will be 45% in 2021 and 58% in 2022.
• Around 90% of the new power capacities additions across the world in 2021 and 2022 will
be of renewable energy.
• The hydroelectric capacity is estimated to reach 30-35GW by 2021 and 2022.
• Wind energy, pace of growth will be slower in 2021 and 2022 and it is expected to decline to
around 85GW in 2021 and below 80GW in 2022.
o However, it will be still 50% higher than the 2017-2019 average.
• Solar Photo Voltaic development is expected to reach 162GW in 2022, which would be 50%
higher than pre-pandemic level of 2019.
India specific findings:
• Renewable Energy capacity addition in India declined by almost 50% to 5.62 GW in 2020 as
compared to 2019.
o COVID-19 pandemic is the main reason for the decline.
• It projected that India will add 17 GW renewable capacity in 2021.
• India’s 5.62 GW capacity addition in 2020 includes large and small hydropower.
• The government has awarded 27 GW of photovoltaics in central and state auctions in 2020.
• India currently has a renewable capacity of around 95 GW including small hydro and
biomass.
• IEA has raised concerns over financial health of power distribution companies and it is the
primary challenge for renewable energy deployment in India.
o The central government has proposed reforms worth $41 billion (around ₹3 lakh
crore) to improve discom operations.

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1.6 Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2021 – Towards post COVID-19 resilient
economies
Released by- United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
About the report-
• It monitors regional progress, provides cutting-edge analyses and guides policy
discussion on the current and emerging socio-economic issues and policy challenges to
support inclusive and sustainable development in the region.
• The 2021 report studies the impact of Covid-19 pandemic and provides insights for post-
Covid-19 resilient economies.
Key findings of the report-
• Developing Asia-Pacific economies are expected to grow at 5.9% in 2021 and at 5% in 2022.
• China was the only major economy in the world to achieve positive annual economic
growth rate in 2020.
• The prospect of K shaped recovery is highlighted, due to uneven post pandemic recovery
across countries and widening of inequality gaps within the countries.
India specific findings:
• It predicted that India’s economic output in 2021 is estimated to remain below the 2019
level.
• Indian economy is estimated to grow at 7% in 2021-22.
o While it witnessed a contraction of 7.7% in 2020-21.
• It mentions 2 major challenges for India on its path to faster recovery.
o Maintaining low borrowing costs.
o Keeping non-performing loans in check.

1.7 Nature in a Globalised World: Conflict and Conservation

Released by- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
About the report-
• The report is 1st in IUCN’s Nature in a globalised world report series.
• It focuses on complex relationships between nature and armed conflict, to inform policies to
better advance both peacebuilding and conservation.
• The main objective of the report was to bring nature conservation into the mainstream of
economic and political decision making.
Key findings of the report-
• Major threats posed by conflicts are disruption of conservation efforts, direct killing of
wildlife for food as well for target practice, and degradation of ecosystems.
• Civil unrest and military exercises pose high risk to 219 endangered species.
o This includes iconic species like critically endangered Eastern Gorilla & Elephant.
• Armed conflicts are prevalent in major biodiverse regions in the world.
o The Himalayan region is the hotspot of conflict between India, Pakistan and China.
• Armed conflicts are most likely to erupt in places where there is less productive agricultural
land, less availability of land or where droughts are frequent.
• It also mentioned about several instances of past where animal species suffered in conflicts.
Recommendations by report:

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 • Natural resource governance should be strengthened through improved transparency and
accountability, inclusive decision making, and by recognising the rights of indigenous people
and women.
• The conservationists, protected area staff and environmental defenders should be provided
with explicit protections against those committing environmental crimes.
• It also calls for ‘sanctions’ against those who are committing environmental war crimes.

1.8 Forced Labour, Child Labour and Land Use in India’s Sugar Industry
Released by- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and The Coca-Cola Company.
About the report- The report provides a review of forced labour, child labour and land use in The
Coca-Cola Company’s (TCCC) sugarcane supply chain in India.
Key findings of the report-
• The study has raised the issue of ambiguity in definitions of child labour and forced labour
related laws in India, especially in sugarcane producing states.
o In some of the states, the authorities have discounted underage child labour as
‘children helping parents in the field’.
• Similar, confusion was about the advance payment to migrant workers, and associated risks
of forced or bonded labour.
• Most of the interventions in the sugarcane sector, by government or by corporate social
responsibility (CSR) arm of companies, are focused just on improving farming techniques so
as to ensure an increase in sugarcane productivity.
Sugarcane Industry in India
• Sugarcane is primarily grown and cultivated in Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab and
Uttar Pradesh.
• Uttar Pradesh is the largest sugarcane producer and accounts for 40% of the production,
followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka, which account for 21% and 11% of production
respectively.
• As per the Indian Sugar Mills Association, as of 31st March 2021:
o Total sugar production is 277.57 lakh tonne.
o However, 233.14 lakh tonne sugar was produced by 31st March 2020.

1.9 57th Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI)

Released by- Ernst and Young
About the report-
• RECAI is a biannual report being released since 2003.
• It ranks the world’s top 40 countries based on the attractiveness of their renewable energy
investment and deployment opportunities.
Key rankings-
Top 3 countries Bottom 3 countries
Rank Country Score Rank Country Score
1 US 70.7 38 Hungary 48.4
2 China 68.7 39 Thailand 48.0
3 India 66.2 40 Kenya 47.9
Global Findings:

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 • In 2020, global renewable energy capacity investments increased by 2% to $303.5 billion.
This is 2nd highest annual growth.
• It estimates that further investment of $5.2 trillion is required to achieve net zero.
• China has added 72.4 Giga Watts (GW) of wind power in 2020.
• The report highlighted that East Asia has a robust pipeline of clean-energy projects, with
more than 800 shovel-ready schemes and a total investment potential of $316 billion.
India specific findings:
• India is ranked at 3rd position in 57th RECAI improving from 4th position it scored in 56th
RECAI.
• Installed solar PV capacity in India is 39 GW in 2020, marginally greater than the wind
capacity.
o Economic attractiveness of solar PV and intense competition from the private sector
has led to record low tariff bids.
• It is expected that power generation from solar sector will exceed coal before 2040.

1.10 2021 Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) - Internal displacement in a changing
climate
Released by- Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC)
About the report-
• The report provides an overview of the most significant displacement situations
worldwide and offers insights into challenges and opportunities for addressing and
preventing displacement.
• This year’s report includes a special focus on disaster displacement and the impacts of
climate change.
Key findings of the report-
• Globally 55 million people were internally displaced in 2020.
o 48 million were displaced due to conflict and violence.
o 7 million due to natural disasters.
• 40.5 million new displacements were recorded in 2020, which is the highest in 10 years.
o 9.8 million new displacements in 2020 were due to conflicts and violence.
o 30.7 million new displacements in 2020 were related to natural disasters.
o 95% of new conflict displacements occurred in countries vulnerable to impacts of
climate change.
• China (5 million) recorded highest number of internally displaced people in 2020, followed
by Philippines & Bangladesh.
• Extreme natural disasters such as cyclones, monsoon rains and floods accounted for more
75% of the people who fled internally in 2020.
• Weather related events were responsible for 98% of all disaster displacement in 2020.
• The global cost of one year of displacement is nearly $20.5 billion in 2020.
India specific findings-
• India has the highest levels of displacement due to disaster in South Asia and global level.
• 3.9 million new disaster displacements were recorded in India in 2020.
o Cyclone Amphan triggered 2.4 million evacuations.
o Cyclone Nisarga prompted 1,70,000 evacuations.

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 • India recorded 3,900 new displacements due to conflicts & violence.
• Total number of Internally Displaced People (IDP) due to:
o Natural disaster - 9,29,000
o Conflict and violence - 4,73,000

1.11 2020 Human Rights Report

Released by- US State Department
About the report- The report, is submitted each year to the U.S. Congress, is retrospective and
contains a country wise discussion of the state of human rights.
India specific findings of the report-
• The harassment and detention of journalists critical of the Indian government in their
reporting and on social media, has continued, although the government generally respected
the freedom of expression.
o It mentioned restrictions on the press, including violence, threats of violence, or
unjustified arrests or prosecutions against journalists.
o It also mentions about restrictive rules on non-government organization, restrictions
on political participation, widespread corruption at all levels in the government, lack
of investigation and accountability for violence against women, and forced and
compulsory child labour, as well as bonded labour.
o Tolerance of violations of religious freedom, crimes involving violence
and discrimination targeting members of minority groups including women based on
religious affiliation or social status are also prevalent in India.
• Government’s requests for user data from Internet companies had increased
“dramatically.”
o The government made 49,382 user data requests in 2019 from Facebook, a 32%
increase from 2018.
o Over the same period, Google requests increased by 69%, while Twitter requests
increased by 68%.
• It highlighted the case of custodial deaths in Tamil Nadu which is arbitrary deprivation of
life.
• There were several instances in which the government, or actors considered close to the
government, allegedly pressured or harassed media outlets critical of the government,
including through online trolling.
• It noted that there is improvement in human rights situation in Jammu & Kashmir:
o The government is taking steps to restore normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir
by gradually lifting some security and communications restrictions, along with
partially restoring internet access. But high-speed 4G mobile internet remained
restricted in most parts of Jammu & Kashmir for the year 2020.

1.12 Women @ Work- A global outlook

Released by- Deloitte
About the report-

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 • The report sheds light on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the state of gender
equality in the workplace.
• The survey was conducted on 5,000 women across 10 nations, 500 of whom were from
India.
Key findings of the report-
• It states that Indian women are working in worse conditions than their global counterparts.
o Indian women are overworked, stressed, productivity has worsened and work life
balance disturbed.
• Less than one third women in India felt that their organisation was committed to
supporting women, as compared to 39% globally.
• Indian employers fared better in terms of checking in with employees and supporting
mental health (32% vs 21% globally), and providing additional financial support (30% vs 22%
globally).
o But they performed much worse than their global counterparts in the flexibility of
working hours (25% vs 30%) and providing a work-life balance (17% vs 22%).
Attribute Global Women Indian Women
Career not progressing fast 42% 57%
Considering leaving the workforce 23% 26%
Greater responsibility for chores and household management 66% 78%
Mental health problems 29% 42%
Physical health problems 22% 40%
Employer’s support sufficient during the pandemic 39% 31%
Less optimistic about career prospects 51% 61%
Workload increased since COVID crisis 77% 82%
Faced non-invasive behaviour 52% 69%

1.13 Environmental Risk Outlook 2021

Released by- Verisk Maplecroft
About the report-
• It ranks 576 largest urban centres across the word based on their exposure to a range of
environmental and climate-related threats.
• It is based on 9 risk indices which evaluate the liveability, investment potential and
operational risk landscape of cities with a population over 1 million.
Key findings of the report-
Rank World’s Riskiest City Country
1 Jakarta Indonesia
2 Delhi India
3 Chennai India
• Glasgow, Scotland is the world’s safety city.
• Asian cities face the greatest risk from environmental issues including natural disasters and
air pollution.
• Of the 100 most vulnerable cities, 99 are located in Asia.
o China has 37 cities while India has 43 cities out of the 100.
o Lima, Peru is the only non-Asian city to be listed in the world’s 100 riskiest cities.

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 • Globally, 1.5 billion people living in 414 cities that are at high risks of water shortage,
pollution, natural hazards, extreme heat and other physical impacts of climate change.
• Dongguan and Guangzhou city of China topped the list of cities that are facing threats from
natural hazards.
India specific findings
• India is home to 13 of the top 20 riskiest cities in the world, as a result of extreme levels of
air and water pollution.
• Air pollution is the main threat to the health of India’s urban population.

1.14 Global Methane Assessment – Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions
Released by- Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and United Nations Environment Programme
About the report- The report is an assessment to evaluate changes in Earth’s climate system and
surface ozone concentrations from reduction in methane emissions.
Key findings of the report-
• Human caused methane emissions can be reduced by 45% or 180 million tons a year in this
decade (2020-30).
o These reductions would avoid 0.3°C of global warming by 2045.
o It would also prevent:
✓ 2,55,000 premature deaths.
✓ 7,75,000 asthma related hospital visits annually.
✓ 26 million tonnes in crop losses globally.
✓ 73 billion hours of lost labour from extreme heat.
o It will also help countries to achieve Paris Climate Agreement’s goal of limiting global
temperature rise to 1.5°C.
• 60% of methane comes from human activity, while remaining from wetlands and natural
sources.
o Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and is responsible for around 30% of global
warming since the pre-industrial era.
o The majority of human caused methane emissions come from 3 sectors – fossil fuels
(35%), landfills and waste (20%), and agriculture (40%).
o Fossil Fuel:
✓ Oil and gas extraction, processing and distribution accounted for 23% of
methane emissions in the fossil fuel sector.
✓ Coal mining accounted for 12% of emissions.
✓ 80% of measures in the oil and gas industry and 98% in coal sector could be
implemented at negative or low cost.
✓ 60% of methane cuts in this sector could make money as reducing leaks would
make more gas available for sale.
o Waste:
✓ Landfills and wastewater made up about 20% of emissions in the waste
sector.
✓ Waste sector could cut its methane emissions by improving the disposal of
sewage around the world.

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 o Agriculture:
✓ Livestock emissions from manure and enteric fermentation constituted for
roughly 32% emissions.
✓ Rice cultivation accounted for 8% of emissions.
✓ Three behavioural changes - reducing food waste and loss, improving livestock
management and adopting healthy diets (vegetarian or with a lower meat and
dairy content) - could reduce methane emissions by 65–80 million tonnes per
year.
• The potential to reduce methane emissions varies country-wise.
o Europe had the greatest potential to curb methane emissions from farming, fossil
fuel operations and waste management.
o India has the greatest potential to reduce methane emissions in the waste sector.
o In China the potential is in coal production and livestock.
o In Africa it is in livestock and oil and gas.

1.15 The Global Trade Update (May 2021)

Released by- United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
About the report-
• This quarterly report provides insight on key trends in world trade.
• It provides up-to-date analysis on the evolution of imports and exports for different regions
and economic sectors, and provides short-term forecasts.
Key findings of the report-
• In Quarter1 (Q1) 2021, the value of global trade in goods and services increased by about
4% quarter-over-quarter, by about 10% year-over-year and 3% relative to Q1 2019.
o East Asian economies is driving the rebound in Q1 2021.
• In Q1 2021, the value of trade in goods was higher than pre-pandemic level with global
trade in COVID-19 related products remained strong. However, trade in services remains to
lag behind.
o The large increases is due to the low base for 2020 and trade in many of the major
economies was still below 2019 averages.
• The overall forecast for 2021 indicates a 16% growth in global trade - 19% for goods and 8%
for services.
• The value of global trade in goods and services is forecast to reach $6.6 trillion in Q2 of
2021.
• The positive outlook for 2021 remains largely dependent on subsiding pandemic
restrictions.
o The economic recovery will be “uneven", across countries.
o Economies of China and USA are expected to be main drivers of global growth in
2021.
India specific findings
• India, China and South Africa have fared "relatively better" than other major economies in
imports and exports in Q1 2021.
• Compared to 2020 averages:

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 o Import of goods grew 45% and exports of goods by 26% in Q1 2021.
o Services imports increased by 14% and services export by 2% in Q1 2021.
• Compared to 2019 averages:
o Import of goods grew 10% and exports of goods by 7% in Q1 2021.
o Services imports increased by 2% and services export decreased by 3% in Q1 2021.

1.16 Business Confidence Survey (May 2021)

Released by- Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
About the report-
• The survey gauges the expectations of respondents from a wide array of sectors for the
period April to September 2021
• It was conducted during April and May 2021.
Key findings of the report-
• Business confidence of Indian companies has come down to its lowest in three quarters in
May 2021.
o Business confidence in last survey (Feb 2021) was decadal high.
• The overall business confidence index (BCI) value in the latest survey is 51.5 as compared to
74.2 in the Feb 2021 survey round.
o The fall is due to decline in optimism levels of participating companies along with
expectation with respect to current conditions.
o However, BCI is still higher than May 2020 (42.9), when lockdown was imposed.
• Economy was witnessing recovery after pandemic-induced lockdown in 2020, but second
wave has caused disruptions once again.
o It has also significantly exacerbated impact on health front and undermined initial
gains made on economic front.
• “Improved capacity utilization rate” has been reported despite weak demand conditions
because of localized curbs instead of complete lockdown, which ensured industry remaining
functional throughout.
• Most respondents flagged weak consumer sentiment as their topmost concern, followed by
non-availability of raw materials and manpower shortage.
o Rising raw material costs is a major problem for fourth consecutive survey.
o Around 65% of the participants stated higher raw material costs is a constraint, also
anticipation regarding better sales prospects in the near term fell to 31%.
• The proportion of respondents citing higher profits over the next six months declined to
16% in the latest survey.
• Employment and exports have also deteriorated in this survey.
o Just 19% of participants were optimistic about better hiring prospects while 27%
participants indicated higher outbound shipments.
o 80% of the companies were facing issues in carrying out their business.
• It suggested, that measures to support demand is crucial for economy to recover from Covid
shock. Also, increased pace of vaccination will help in achieving faster normalization.

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1.17 Report of Advisory Committee on Ways and Means Advances to State Government
Released by- Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
About the report-
• The Committee was set up in August 2019, to periodically review the Ways and Means
Advances (WMA) Scheme of States.
• The Committee comprised of nine members, and was chaired by Sudhir Shrivastava.
Key recommendations of the report-
• It calculated WMA limits based on the total expenditure of State Governments, and the
rationale for adopting expenditure-based methodology was to revise the limit according to
the fiscal size of States.
o The revised limit based on the formula is ₹47,010 crore.
• However, the interim limit currently is ₹51,560 crore which is lower than the revised limit.
So, the committee decided to continue this interim limit for 6 months i.e., up to 30th
September 2021.
o RBI may review the limit later, either based on the methodology suggested by the
Committee or as may be necessary depending on the course of the pandemic and its
impact on economy.
• The Committee also recommended that the prevailing interest rate on Special Drawing
Facility (SDF)/ WMA/ Overdraft (OD) may be retained.
• It also proposed that OD Regulations may continue and the interim relaxations on OD may
cease to exist by 31st March 2021.
• The Special Drawing Facility (SDF) availed by State Governments/ UTs shall continue to be
linked to the quantum of their investments in marketable securities issued by the
Government of India, including the Auction Treasury Bills (ATBs).
o The net annual incremental investments in Consolidated Sinking Fund (CSF) and
Guarantee Redemption Fund (GRF) shall continue to be eligible for availing of SDF,
without any upper limit, and a uniform hair-cut of 5% shall be applied.
• The limitation on availing SDF against investment in 91-day Treasury Bills (T-bills) may be
removed and States be allowed to invest in 91-day T-bills without the restriction of 90 days,
provided the SDF/ WMA availed prior to such investment is fully repaid.
• Also, prevailing condition of permitting States to invest their cash surplus in Auction
Treasury Bills (ATBs) only when they have not availed WMA in the immediately preceding
period of 90 consecutive days, may also be removed.
• The Committee recommended that states those who have not constituted CSF and GRF
funds to join CSF/ GRF schemes, which would facilitate them to withdraw from the Fund to
repay liabilities in times of need, and also to avail SDF for managing temporary cash flow
mismatches.
• It recommended that a minimum corpus be built by States in CSF and GRF, within the next 5
years.
o States may build a minimum corpus of at least 5% of the total liabilities/ guarantees
outstanding at the end of previous Financial Year (FY).

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 • The Committee recommended that withdrawal from CSF be allowed after a lock-in period
of 2 years from constituting the Fund, in place of the prevailing lock-in period of 5 years.
• States may be allowed to use the total quantum of interest accrued and accumulated in the
Fund (up to the end of previous financial year) for repayment of outstanding liabilities.
• States may also be allowed to withdraw from CSF, any sum in excess of the minimum corpus
of 5%.
• It recommended that the minimum balance fixed for States may not be revised at present
and the system of having differential minimum balance for each State/ UT can continue as it
has been working fine so far.

1.18 World Economic Situation and Prospectus Report (Mid 2021)

Released by- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)
About the report- The report provides a comprehensive overview and forecast for the global
economy for 2021. The Mid 2021 report updates the projections of January report.
Key findings of the report-
• The global economy is projected to grow by 5.4% in 2021, increased from 4.7% projected in
January.
o Global economy witnessed a contraction of 3.6% in 2020.
• Global economy will grow at 4.7% in 2022.
• Economic output in many countries will return to pre-pandemic level in 2022 or 2023.
o The growth outlook in several countries in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin
America and the Caribbean remains fragile and uncertain.
o China and the United States are on the path to recovery with growth of 8.2% and
6.2% respectively.
• The surging Covid-19 infections and inadequate vaccination progress in many countries
threaten a broad-based recovery of the world economy.
o Vaccine inequity between countries and regions is posing a significant risk to an
already uneven and fragile global recovery.
• The pandemic has pushed an estimated 114.4 million people into extreme poverty, of which
57.8 million are women and girls.
India specific findings-
• It has raised India's growth forecast to 7.5% for calendar year 2021.
o This is increase of 0.2% from January projections.
o However, the growth outlook for India remains highly fragile for 2021.
• India is projected to grow at 10.1% in 2022.

1.19 WTO Goods Trade Barometer

Released by- World Trade Organization (WTO)
About the report-
• The Goods Trade Barometer, was formerly known as the World Trade Outlook Indicator.
• It is a composite leading indicator that provides real-time information on the trajectory of
merchandise trade relative to recent trends and is updated on a quarterly basis.
• A reading of 100 indicates trade expansion in line with recent trends.
o Readings greater than 100 suggest above-trend growth while readings below 100
indicate below-trend growth.
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Key findings of the report-
• The current reading of goods barometer is 109.7.
o It is 21.6 points more than that in 2020 on year-on-year basis.
o This presents, both the strength of the current recovery and the depth of the Covid-
19 shock in 2020.
• Global trade in goods is continuing to recover in 2021, indicating strong growth in the first
and second quarters of 2021, and is driven by increase in export orders, air freight and
electronic components.
• The WTO’s trade forecast in March 2021, predicted 8% increase in the volume of world
merchandise trade in 2021.
o In 2020, world merchandise trade witnessed contraction of 5.3%.
o However, the relatively positive short-term outlook for trade is impaired by regional
disparities, continued weakness in services trade and lagging vaccination,
particularly in poor countries.

Second Section
1.20 State of Working India 2021: One Year of Covid-19
Released by- Azim Premji University
About the report- The report covers the period March 2020 to December 2020, dwells on the
impact of one year of Covid-19 on employment, incomes, inequality and poverty.
Key findings of the report-
• Impact on Employment:
o 100 million jobs were lost during the April-May 2020 lockdown.
o Most of these workers found employment by June 2020, but about 15 million
remained out of work by end of 2020.
o Around 33% of workers in the 15-24 years age group failed to recover employment
even by December 2020, while this was only 6% in the 25-44 years group.
• Impact on Income:
o Monthly per capita income in October 2020 (Rs. 4,979) was below its level in January
2020 (Rs. 5,989) for an average 4 membered household.
o Monthly earnings of workers fell on an average by 17% during the pandemic.
o Self-employed and informal salaried workers faced highest loss of earnings.
• Informalisation:
o Post-lockdown, nearly half of salaried workers had moved into informal work, either
as self-employed (30%), casual wage (10%) or informal salaried (9%).
• Regressive Nature of Economic Impact:
o Bottom 20% of households earned nothing in the months of April and May 2020.
o Top 10% suffered the least during the lockdown, and only lost about 25% of their
February income during the lockdown months.
• Disproportionate Impact on Women:
o During the lockdown and in the post lockdown months, 61% of working men
remained employed while 7% lost their job and did not return to work.

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 o But in case of women, only 19% remained employed while 47% suffered a
permanent job loss.
• Increase in Poverty Rate:
o Rural poverty rate increased by 15% and the urban poverty rate by nearly 20%.
o Around 23 crore Indians have been pushed into poverty during the past one year,
due to the job loss and fall in earnings.
o Households coped with the loss of income by decreasing their food intake, selling
assets and borrowing informally from friends, relatives and moneylenders.
Suggestions by the report:
o The extra Public Distribution System (PDS) entitlements under Pradhan Mantri Garib
Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) should be extended till the end of the 2021.
o Cash transfers of Rs. 5,000 for three months to as many vulnerable households as
can be reached with the existing digital infrastructure, including but not limited to Jan
Dhan accounts.
o MGNREGA (Mahatma National Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act) has played a
vital role and its budget allocation needs to be expanded with providing 150 days of
work.
o A pilot urban employment programme can be launched in the worst hit districts,
possibly focused on women workers.
o A Covid-19 hardship allowance of Rs. 30,000 (Rs.5,000 per month for six months)
should be announced for 2.5 million Anganwadi and ASHA workers who have been at
the frontlines of the grassroots fight against the virus.
o Increasing the central contributions in the old age pension schemes to at least
Rs.500.

1.21 Prime Global Cities Index (Quarter 1)

Released by- Knight Frank
About the report-
• The Prime Global Cities Index is a valuation-based index, which tracks the movement in
prime residential prices in local currency across more than 45 cities.
• Prime prices is the most desirable and most expensive property in a given location,
generally the top 5% of each market by value.
Key rankings-
Top 3 cities: Bottom 3 cities:
Rank City 12 month % change Rank City 12 month % change
(Q1 2020 – Q1 2021) (Q1 2010 – Q1 2021)
1 Shenzen 18.9% 44 Dubai -3.6%
2 Shanghai 16.3% 45 Paris -3.7%
3 Guangzhou 14.8% 46 New York -5.8%
Global findings-
• Prime prices has increased by 4.6% in quarter 1 (Q1) 2021.
• 26 cities witnessed a rise in prime residential prices in Q1 2021.
• 11 cities registered double-digit priced growth.
• 67% of global cities registered flat or positive yearly price growth.
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 • Factors behind each city's negative growth are:
o Long and stringent lockdowns
o Backlog of supply
o Higher taxes
o Policy constraints
o Travel bans
India specific findings:
Rank City 12 month % change (Q1 2020 – Q1 2021)
32 Delhi -0.2%
36 Mumbai -1.5%
40 Bengaluru -2.7%
• India’s top property markets have witnessed a slight decline in the prime residential prices.

1.22 2021 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report

Released by- NortonLifeLock
About the report- It is based on the research conducted online by The Harris Poll among 10,030
adults in ten countries, including 1,000 adults in India.
Key findings of the report-
• 70% of Indian adults believe that remote work has made it much easier for hackers and
cybercriminals to take advantage of people.
• 52% adults admitted that they don’t know how to protect themselves from cybercrime.
• 59% of adults in India have become victims of cybercrime in the past 12 months.
• Cybercrime victims collectively spent 1.3 billion hours trying to resolve these issues.
• 90% of Indian consumers are taking proactive steps to safeguard their data.
• 42% people feel that it is impossible to protect their privacy.
• 66% have said that they are more worried than ever before of being a victim of a
cybercrime.
• 63% of Indian responded that they feel more vulnerable to cybercrime than they did before
the COVID-19 pandemic began.
• 68% people said that it is difficult for them to determine if the information they see online
is from a credible source.
• 45% of Indian consumers have experienced identity theft, with 14% impacted in the past
year alone.
o It means, 27 million Indian adults experienced identity theft in the past 12 months.
• 52% of cybercrime victims turned to their friends for help.
• 47% contacted the company that the account was hacked from for resolving the issues.
• 36% of Indian adults detected unauthorised access to an account or device in the past 12
months.
• Two in five people felt scared or vulnerable for cybercrimes.
• Three in ten felt powerless against the cybercrimes they became a victim of.
• Only 36% of Indian adults are estimated to have invested in security software or have
increased their pre-existing security software.

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1.23 Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and perinatal outcomes
Released by- The Lancet Global Health Journal
About the report-
• The report sheds light on the available global data on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
on maternal and perinatal outcomes.
• It is an analysis of 40 studies across 17 countries including Brazil, Mexico, the U.S., Canada,
the U.K., Denmark, Netherlands, Italy, India, China and Nepal.
Key findings of the report-
• The study attributes that the inefficiency of the healthcare system and its inability to cope
with the pandemic is responsible for reduced access to care services rather that strict
lockdown measures.
o The fear of getting infected from health providers also added to pregnancy risks.
o This has in turn resulted in an increase in maternal deaths and stillbirths.
▪ 28% increase in the cases of stillbirths.
▪ 37% increase to risk of mothers dying during pregnancy or childbirth.
• An increase in reported maternal anxieties could be an outcome of reduced medical
attendance, limited permissible movement and lack of childcare access during lockdowns.
• Wider societal changes could have also led to deterioration in maternal health which
include:
o Intimate partner violence
o Loss of employment
o Additional care responsibilities due of closure of schools
• COVID-19 impact on pregnancy outcomes is disproportionately high on poorer countries
along with marginalised sections of societies in every country.
• It recommended that personnel for maternity services should not be redeployed for other
critical and medical care during the pandemic.
India specific findings-
• During the months between April and June 2020, as compared to the same months in 2019,
there was:
o 27% decrease in pregnant women receiving four or more ante-natal check-ups.
o 28% decline in institutional deliveries.
o 22% decline in prenatal services.

1.24 State of Indian Healthcare – Indian cities through the lens of healthcare 2021
Released by- Housing.com
About the report-
• The report ranks health infrastructure in the country’s most urbanised 8 cities which are
Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai (MMR) and
Pune.
• The parameters used include number of beds, air quality, ease of living index, water quality
and availability, sanitation and solid waste management, municipal performance index and
sustainable initiatives.
o 40% weightage is given to number of beds.

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Key findings of the report-
Rank City
1 Pune
2 Ahmedabad
3 Bengaluru
4 Mumbai
5 Hyderabad
6 Chennai
7 Kolkata
8 NCR Delhi
• Pune is the most equipped Indian city in terms of health infrastructure.
o Pune also scored significantly high on parameters such as ease of living, water
quality, as well as performance and sustainable initiatives taken by its local
government.
• National Capital Region (NCR) Delhi, is ranked the lowest because of low scores on air and
water quality, sanitation and performance of municipal bodies.
• Pune has 3.5 hospital beds per 1,000 people while the national average, is only 0.5 bed per
1,000 people in the public healthcare system.
o After the inclusion of private hospitals, the estimated total number of hospital beds
is 1.4 per 1,000 people in India.
o There is a shortfall of 2.4 million beds (public and private) with the majority of these
concentrated in urban areas.
• India spent only 3.5% of its gross domestic product on healthcare in 2018.
• India also has the lowest number of doctors at 0.86 per 1,000 people.

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