Index, Reports and Summits in News

What is the News? Union Minister of Telecom has represented India at the World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2021.  About World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2021(WSIS): World Summit on the Information Society(WSIS) is one of the world’s largest annual gathering of the ‘ICT for development’ community. The UN General Assembly approved… Continue reading India participated in ‘World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2021’

What is the News? A Defence Website Military Direct has released a study titled “Ultimate military strength Index”. About Ultimate military strength index: Firstly, the Ultimate military strength index ranks the strongest military forces in the world. Secondly, the index calculated this after taking into consideration various factors. The factors include budgets, average salaries, number… Continue reading Military Direct releases “Ultimate military strength Index”.

What is the News? World Happiness Report 2021 has been released. The report evaluated levels of happiness by accounting factors such as GDP, social support, personal freedom, and levels of corruption in each nation.  About The World Happiness Report: The World Happiness Report is an annual report published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions… Continue reading United Nations SDSN publishes “World Happiness Report 2021”

What is the News? IQ Air, a Swiss air quality technology company released a report titled “World Air Quality Report, 2020”. About World Air Quality Report: World Air Quality is an annual report. The report is based on PM2.5 data from 106 countries based on data from ground-based monitoring stations. The report is handled by… Continue reading “World Air Quality Report, 2020” Released

Synopsis: The maiden (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue)  Quad Summit witnessed declaration of a joint statement by four leaders along with a common article in the Washington post. It is a step which is expected to yield positive outcomes in the Asian Geopolitics and the Indo Pacific region. Background: The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 triggered cooperation… Continue reading Highlights of the Quad Summit

What is the news? Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute(SIPRI) released a report titled “Trends in International Arms Transfers Report”. It presents global trends in arms exports and imports. What are the key findings of the SIPRI report? SIPRI Report on India: Second Largest Arms Importer: India remains the second largest arms importer… Continue reading “SIPRI Report” – India Remains the 2nd Largest Arms Importer

What is the News? Sweden-based Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute released a report titled “Autocratisation Goes Viral”. The report has downgraded India from being an “electoral democracy” to an “electoral autocracy”. Note: This report comes after US watchdog Freedom House has downgraded India’s status to “partly free” in its ‘Freedom in the World’ report. Contents1… Continue reading India rated as an “electoral autocracy” by V-Dem Institute

What is the news? The National Green Tribunal (NGT) appointed a joint committee to study air pollution in Kerala. It made several recommendations to improve air quality in Kerala. What are the key recommendations of the panel? Installation of vapor recovery systems at fuelling stations Retrofitting of diesel vehicles with particulate filters to improve air… Continue reading Panel Recommendations to improve “Air Quality in Kerala”

What is the news? The first-ever leadership Quad summit held virtually. About the First Quad Summit: Participation: Indian Prime Minister, US President, Australian PM, and Japanese PM participated virtually in the first Quad summit. What were the key takeaways from the Summit?  Free and Open Indo-Pacific: The leaders have called for a free and open… Continue reading First “Quad Summit” Held Virtually

What is the News? NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute(RMI) India jointly releases a new report titled ‘Mobilising Electric Vehicle Financing in India’. Purpose of the Mobilising Electric Vehicle Financing in India report: The report highlights the role of finance in India’s transition to electric vehicles(EVs). Further, the report also identifies solutions for capital and… Continue reading ‘Mobilising Electric Vehicle Financing in India’ – A report of NITI Aayog

What is the News? The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development has submitted its report to the Lok Sabha. What did the Parliamentary Panel say in its report? Parliamentary report On Pensions to Senior Citizens, Widows and Disabled: Increase in Pension Amount: The Central Government must increase the small amount of pensions provided for poor… Continue reading Report of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development

What is the news? The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment, Forests and Climate Change chaired by a Rajya Sabha member has tabled its report. The report demands more grants to the Environment ministry. What were the key highlights of the report? On Budget allocation for Environment Ministry: In Budget 2020-21, Government has reduced the revised… Continue reading Parliamentary Standing Committee report on Environment Ministry

What is the News? The Heritage Foundation releases The Index of Economic Freedom 2021. Key Findings of  Index of Economic Freedom 2021 India ranked 121st in the index with a score of 56.5 points under the category of ‘mostly unfree’. In Asia-Pacific, India ranked 26th among the 40 countries. Other Key Findings Singapore tops the… Continue reading “Index of Economic Freedom” 2021 released

What is the news? The World Health Organization(WHO) releases its first-ever World Report on Hearing. This report released on World Hearing Day (observed on 3rd March). Contents1 About World Report on Hearing:2 Key Findings of World Report on Hearing:3 Suggestions by World Report on Hearing4 India specific findings of World Report on Hearing: About World… Continue reading WHO released “World Report on Hearing”

What is the news? The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) releases the Food Waste Index Report 2021. Contents1 About Food Waste Index Report, 2021:2 Key Findings of the report:3 Impact of Food Waste:4 About Food Systems Summit: About Food Waste Index Report, 2021: Aim: The Report aims at supporting the goals of SDG 12.3. It… Continue reading UNEP releases “Food Waste Index Report 2021”

What is the News? Union Minister for Communications inaugurated India Telecom 2021 Event. About India Telecom 2021: Organised by: Telecom Equipment Export Promotion Council(TEPC) under Market Access Initiative Scheme (MAI) of the Department of Commerce. The event has the support of the Department of Telecommunications & Ministry of External Affairs. Purpose: It is an exclusive… Continue reading “India Telecom 2021” Event Inaugurated

What is the news? The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs releases the rankings of the Municipal Performance Index(MPI) 2020. About Municipal Performance Index(MPI), 2020: It is a framework to assess and analyze the performance of Indian Municipalities. Performance is evaluated based on their defined set of functions. It provides citizens with a better understanding… Continue reading Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Releases “Municipal Performance Index (MPI)”

What is the News? The QS World University Rankings 2021 released. About QS World University Rankings 2021 Released by: Global higher education consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds releases annually. Parameters: It calculates the performance of the universities based on the following four parameters: Academic reputation Employer reputation Research impact (citations per paper) Productivity of an institution’s research… Continue reading Ranking of Indian Universities in “QS World University Rankings 2021”

What is the news? The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs releases the rankings of the Ease of Living Index (EoLI) 2020. About Ease of Living Index,2020: Developed by: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in 2018. It is an assessment tool. By this tool, quality of life and the impact of various initiatives on… Continue reading “Ease of Living Index, 2020” released

What is the News? LinkedIn has released the Opportunity Index,2021. The index focuses on the manner in which women perceive their employment opportunities. Further, the opportunity index also focuses on how the gender gap is slowing down the career progress for working women. About the Opportunity Index 2021: The LinkedIn Opportunity Index research was conducted… Continue reading LinkedIn released the “Opportunity Index 2021”

What is the News? The Prime Minister has inaugurated the Second edition of the”Maritime India Summit 2021′. About the Maritime India Summit 2021: Organised by: Maritime India Summit is being organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways. The FICCI will act as the Industry Partner in this summit. Partner Country: Denmark is the… Continue reading PM inaugurated ‘Maritime India Summit 2021’

What is the News? U.S. Trade Representative(USTR) has released a report titled “2021 President’s Trade Agenda and 2020 Annual Report”. What are the Key Highlights of the USTR report? The USTR report highlighted a few important updates on trade between India and the US in 2020. They are, USTR report on Trade Relations: The US… Continue reading ‘USTR report’ mentions India’s policies as trade restrictive

What is the News? The 2nd edition of Global Bio-India is being organised on a digital platform. About Global Bio India 2021: Organized by: It is organised by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology along with BIRAC in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry(CII), Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises(ABLE) and Invest… Continue reading Second edition of “Global Bio-India”-2021

What is the News? The World Bank and UNESCO released the Education Finance Watch Report (EFW), 2021. About the Education Finance Watch Report: The report is a collaborative effort between the World Bank and UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report. It summarizes the available information on patterns and trends in education financing around the world.… Continue reading World bank Released “Education Finance Watch(EFW) Report” 2021

What is the News? The Centre for Science and Environment(CSE) has released the State of Environment Report, 2021. About the State of Environment Report, 2021: It is an annual publication by the Centre for Science and Environment(CSE) along with Down To Earth. It covers aspects such as forests, wildlife, agriculture, rural development, water and sanitation,… Continue reading State of Environment Report, 2021

Synopsis– Corruption Perception Index as a measure of corruption cannot be used as a base for policymaking. Introduction- Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is an index published annually by Transparency International [TI] since 1995. The index ranks countries by their perceived levels of corruption as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys. India’s ranking– 86th with an overall rating of… Continue reading Flaws in Corruption Perception Index

What is the News? The Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways launches the “Go Electric” Campaign. Go Electric Campaign: It is a campaign of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) to promote and spread awareness on electric mobility. Objectives: It will boost the confidence of electric vehicle manufacturers. Furthermore, it will spread awareness about… Continue reading Transport Minister launches ‘Go Electric Campaign’

What is the News? International Energy Agency(IEA) releases the India Energy Outlook 2021 Report. About the India Energy Outlook 2021 This report aims to ensure reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy for a growing population. It explores the opportunities and challenges ahead for India. It examines the long-term impacts of the pandemic on India’s energy supply,… Continue reading What are findings of “India Energy Outlook 2021”?

What is the News? The Hindu Newspaper has published the data obtained through the RTI queries. Data provides info. on the representation of marginalized communities such as OBCs, SCs, and STs in the leading IITs of the country. About the data: The RTI query data covers Ph.D. admissions made in the five-year period from 2015… Continue reading Data on participation of marginalised Communities in leading IITs

What is the News? The World Bank released a report titled “Traffic Crash Injuries and Disabilities: The Burden on Indian Society”. It highlights the Socio-Economic impacts of road accidents in India. About the Report: Published by: World Bank in collaboration with SaveLIFE Foundation. The report highlights the socio-economic impact of road accidents. It analyses the … Continue reading “Traffic Crash Injuries and Disabilities” -World Bank report on road accidents in India

What is the News? Azim Premji University(APU) has released a study titled “loss of learning during COVID Pandemic”. About the study: Focus: The study looked at the impacts of the closure of schools during COVID, on the students. It especially focussed on the students from lower classes. Coverage: The study was conducted on primary school… Continue reading “Foundational Abilities” of children lost due to closure of schools

What is the News? The Standing Committee on Information Technology has slammed the Department of Telecommunications(DoT) for the delay in the launch of 5G services. Facts:  What is 5G technology? 5G or fifth generation is the latest upgrade so far in the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks. The 5G technology mainly works in 3… Continue reading “5G Technology” roll-out in India

What is the News? The Prime Minister will inaugurate the World Sustainable Development Summit 2021. About World Sustainable Development Summit(WSDS): It is an annual event organized by The Energy and Resources Institute(TERI) since 2001. The summit was earlier known as Delhi Sustainable Development Summit. Purpose: The Summit brings together a wide number of participants in… Continue reading PM to inaugurate “World Sustainable Development Summit 2021”

What is the News? Association for Democratic Reforms(ADR) has released a report titled “Analysis of Donations received by Registered Unrecognised Political Parties”. The report underlines the lack of transparency among Registered Unrecognised Political Parties. Facts: What is Registered Unrecognised Political Parties? If a party satisfies any one of below-mentioned criteria, then they are called Registered… Continue reading Registered Unrecognised Political Parties are not transparent : ADR report

What is the News? The Economist Intelligence Unit(EIU) has released the Democracy Index, 2020. In that, India dropped two places and currently at 53rd position. Facts: Democracy Index 2020: It was started in 2006 by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The index provides a clear image of the status of democracy worldwide in 167 countries. Categories:… Continue reading EIU’s “Democracy Index” – India at 53rd position

What is the News? Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) has released the third round of the Serological Survey. Facts: Serological Survey: It is conducted to assess the prevalence of a disease in a population. It is done by detecting the presence of specific antibodies that are produced against the virus. How was the survey conducted?… Continue reading “ICMR Serological Survey” -One in five Indians have been exposed to coronavirus,

What is the News? The United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) has released the Global Climate Litigation Report 2020. About Global Climate Litigation Report 2020 Published by: The report was published by the UNEP in cooperation with the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University. Objective: The provides an overview of the current state of… Continue reading “Global Climate Litigation Report 2020” released by UNEP

What is the News? The Economic Survey 2020-21 has introduced the Bare Necessities Index(BNI). Facts: Bare Necessities Index(BNI): This index is a means of assessing equity in economic development among states and regions in India. It uses the basic needs approach. Indicators: This index uses 26 indicators on five dimensions of basic necessities— water, sanitation,… Continue reading Economic Survey 2020-21: “Bare necessities index” introduced

What is the News? Transparency International(TI) has released the Corruption Perception Index, 2020. About Corruption Perception Index, 2020: Transparency International publishes this index annually, since 1995. The index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption.  Corruption is measured based on expert assessments and surveys of business people. It uses… Continue reading “Corruption Perception Index 2020” – India’s Rank Slips to 86th

What is the News? Department of Economic Affairs(DEA) and World Bank signed an agreement for the financial support on the Strengthening Teaching-Learning And Results for States(STARS) project.   STARS project: The project would be implemented as a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme. Aim: To improve the overall monitoring and measurement activities in the Indian school education… Continue reading Agreement for Financial Support to “STARS Project”