Going down the wrong path

Synopsis: India slips on indices of freedom and the government has not even acknowledged there is a problem.

Introduction

Recently, the government decided to leverage the monitoring of select Global Indices to drive reforms and growth in the country”. The Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office of the NITI Aayog, set up in September 2015, will monitor the indices.

It would track India’s performance in four categories — industry, development, economy, and governance. The aim is to use these Indices as tools for systemic reforms in the policies and processes. As this would help in improving investor confidence, creating a conducive ecosystem for investment and enhance ease of living”.

What are the findings of various reports on India’s Democracy and civil liberties?

CIVICUS National Civic Space Ratings: India has gone from the “Obstructed” to “Repressed” category.

Freedom House Freedom in the World: India has gone from the “Free” to the “Partly Free” category.

Access to Info RTI Ratings index: India has fallen four places for being “less transparent” in government.

What are the findings of various reports on Employment?

Similar performances have been seen in the economy and employment sector. In most of the reports, India’s ranking has been slipped down.

United Nations Development Index, India has gone from 130 to 131 out of 189 countries.

United Nations Happiness Report:  India has fallen 22 places. India has been placed at 139th position out of 149 countries.

International Food Policy Research Institute’s Global Hunger Index: India has fallen 39 places even ranked below Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

What are the platforms where India scored better?

India has shown improvement in other global reports World Bank’s Doing Business Report, Global Terrorism Index , World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index, Global Innovation Index.

What are the reasons for the lower rankings in the above categories?

The indices are reflective of data that the government itself puts out in many ways. But despite that, the government is not acknowledging the rakings. Given the NITI’s monitoring system, and , this trend is likely to continue.

Source: This post is based on “Going down the wrong path” published in Business Standard on 16th September 2021.