India slips two places on global corruption perception index - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India slips two places on global corruption perception index.

Opaque political financing, lobbying by corporate interests has caused control of corruption to fall in democracies like India and Australia, notes Transparency International

India’s ranking in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI-2019) has slipped from 78 to 80 compared to the previous year, said Transparency International on Thursday, while questioning the “unfair and opaque political financing” in the country. Its score of 41 out of 100 remains the same.
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.
‘Serious challenges’
“Our analysis also shows corruption is more pervasive in countries where big money can flow freely into electoral campaigns and where governments listen only to the voices of wealthy or well-connected individuals,” said Transparency International.
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 Asia Pacific region, the average score is 45, after many consecutive years of an average score of 44, which “illustrates general stagnation” across the region. China has improved its position from 87 to 80 with a score of 41 out of 100, a two-point jump.
“Despite the presence of high performers like New Zealand (87), Singapore (85), Australia (77), Hong Kong (76) and Japan (73), the Asia Pacific region hasn’t witnessed substantial progress in anti-corruption efforts or results. In addition, low performers like Afghanistan (16), North Korea (17) and Cambodia (20) continue to highlight serious challenges in the region,” the report said.
According to Transparency International, while often seen as an engine of the global economy, in terms of political integrity and governance, the region performs only marginally better than the global average.
‘Avoid scrutiny’
“Many countries see economic openness as a way forward, however, governments across the region, from China to Cambodia to Vietnam, continue to restrict participation in public affairs, silence dissenting voices and keep decision-making out of public scrutiny,” it said.
Given these issues, it comes as no surprise that vibrant economic powers like China (41), Indonesia (40), Vietnam (37), the Philippines (34) and others continue to struggle to tackle corruption, according to the report.
The top ranked countries are New Zealand and Denmark, with scores of 87 each, followed by Finland (86), Singapore (85), Sweden (85) and Switzerland (85). The countries ranked at the bottom of the list are Somalia, South Sudan and Syria with scores of 9, 12 and 13. These countries are closely followed by Yemen (15), Venezuela (16), Sudan (16), Equatorial Guinea (16) and Afghanistan (16).
‘No change’
In the last eight years, only 22 countries significantly improved their CPI scores, including Greece, Guyana and Estonia. In the same period, among the 21 countries that saw a significantly fall in their scores are Canada, Australia and Nicaragua. In the remaining 137 countries, the levels of corruption show little to no change, the report said. (Source: The Hindu)


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India slips two places on global corruption perception index.

Global unemployment projected to rise by around 2.5 mn in 2020: UN report - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Global unemployment projected to rise by around 2.5 mn in 2020: UN report.

Not enough new jobs are being generated to absorb new entrants to the labour market, the report said

Global unemployment is projected to increase by around 2.5 million in 2020 and almost half a billion people are working fewer paid hours than they would like or lack adequate access to paid work, according to UN's International Labour Organization report.

The World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2020 (WESO) report, released on Monday, states that global unemployment has been roughly stable for the last nine years but slowing global economic growth means that, as the global labour force increases, not enough new jobs are being generated to absorb new entrants to the labour market.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) forecasts that unemployment will rise by about 2.5 million this year. The ILO is a UN agency whose mandate is to advance social justice and promote decent work by setting international labour standards.
"For millions of ordinary people, it's increasingly difficult to build better lives through work," ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said.
"Persisting and substantial work-related inequalities and exclusion are preventing them from finding decent work and better futures. That's an extremely serious finding that has profound and worrying implications for social cohesion," Ryder said.
The number of people unemployed around the world stands at some 188 million.
In addition, 165 million people do not have enough paid work, and 120 million have either given up actively searching for work or otherwise lack access to the labour market. In total, more than 470 million people worldwide are affected, the report said.
Earlier in January, a UN report on the economy showed that developed countries are experiencing slow growth, and some African countries are stagnating.
The consequence is that not enough new jobs are being created to absorb the growing labour force as it enters the market. In addition, many African countries are experiencing a drop in real incomes and a rise in poverty, it said.
The ILO report said that moderate or extreme working poverty is expected to edge up in 2020-21 in developing countries, increasing the obstacles to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 1 on eradicating poverty everywhere by 2030.
Currently working poverty (defined as earning less than USD 3.20 per day in purchasing power parity terms) affects more than 630 million workers, or one in five of the global working population.
Inequalities related to gender, age and geographical location continue to plague the job market, with the report showing that these factors limit both individual opportunity and economic growth.
Some 267 million young people aged 15-24 are not in employment, education or training, and many more endure substandard working condition.
The rise in trade restrictions and protectionism, which could have a significant impact on employment, is seen as a potentially worrying trend, as is the significant drop in the share of national income in the form of wages, compared to other forms of production, it said.
"Labour underutilisation and poor-quality jobs mean our economies and societies are missing out on the potential benefits of a huge pool of human talent, said the report's lead author, Stefan Kuhn.
"We will only find a sustainable, inclusive path of development if we tackle these kinds of labour market inequalities and gaps in access to decent work," Kuhn said.
The report's authors recommend that countries ensure that economic growth and development occurs in a way that leads to the reduction of poverty and better working conditions in low-income countries, through structural transformation, technological upgrading and diversi?cation.
The annual WESO Trends report analyses key labour market issues, including unemployment, labour underutilisation, working poverty, income inequality, labour income share and factors that exclude people from decent work. (Source: The Business Standard)


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Global unemployment projected to rise by around 2.5 mn in 2020: UN report.

India’s under-5 mortality of girls exceeds that of boys, unlike global trend, says report - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India’s under-5 mortality of girls exceeds that of boys, unlike global trend, says report.

Worldwide, one child/young adolescent died every 5 seconds in 2018, says UN inter-agency group

India is among the few countries in the world where, in 2018, the mortality under-5 years of girls, exceeded that of boys, according to the ‘Levels and Trends in Child Mortality’ report by the United Nations (UN) inter-agency group for child mortality.
The global report states that in 2018 fewer countries showed gender disparities in child mortality, and across the world, on average, boys are expected to have a higher probability of dying before reaching age-5 than girls. But this trend was not reflected in India.
Risk higher
“In some countries, the risk of dying before age 5 for girls is significantly higher than what would be expected based on global patterns. These countries are primarily located in Southern Asia and Western Asia,” said the report.
According to India’s 2017 Sample Registration System (SRS) the States with the highest burden of neonatal mortality are Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh, with 32, 33 and 30 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births, respectively. India’s neonatal mortality rate is 23 per 1,000 live births.
Also States and Union Territories, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttarakhand showed the largest gender gaps in under-5 mortality.

“The burden of child mortality is determined both by the mortality rate (the proportion of children who die) and by the estimated population of any given State (total number of annual births). In this sense, Uttar Pradesh is the State with the highest number of estimated newborn deaths in India, both because of the high neonatal mortality rate and because of the large cohort of births that occur every year in the State,” noted information released by UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund).
Five countries
According to the report, half of all under-5 deaths in 2018 occurred in five countries: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia. India and Nigeria alone account for about a third.
Estimates indicate that the majority of child mortality cases in India are attributable to deaths during the neonatal period. The major causes of neonatal mortality are pre-term birth, intrapartum related events, and neonatal infection. In the post-neonatal period, the major direct causes of death are diarrhoea and pneumonia.
The report adds that despite the tremendous progress in child survival that has been made over the past two decades, one child or young adolescent died every five seconds in 2018.
“Globally, 85% of deaths among children and young adolescents in 2018 occurred in the first five years of life, accounting for 5.3 million deaths, of which 2.5 million (47%) occurred in the first month of life, 1.5 million (29%) at age 1-11 months, and 1.3 million (25%) at age 1-4 years. An additional 0.9 million deaths occurred among children aged 5-14 years,” noted the report.
Urgent need
The report adds that it is urgently required to further accelerate progress in preventing child deaths.
“Current trends predict that close to 10 million 5- to 14-year-olds, and 52 million children under 5 years of age, will die between 2019 and 2030. Almost half of these under-5 deaths will be newborns whose deaths can be prevented by reaching high coverage of quality antenatal care, skilled care at birth, postnatal care for mother and baby, and care of small and sick newborns,” said the study. (Source: Livemint)


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India’s under-5 mortality of girls exceeds that of boys, unlike global trend, says report

Is the global economy sliding into 1st recession since 2009 - Pragnya IAS Academy - New Analysis.

Is the global economy sliding into 1st recession since 2009.

• The IMF sees a 'serious risk' the slowdown will spread, and on Tuesday it’s likely to cut its 2019 global growth forecast from 3.2%, already the weakest since 2009
• Bloomberg’ global GDP tracker shows the pace of expansion has slowed to 2.2% in the third quarter, down from 4.7% at the start of 2018

The global economy is wobbling and whether it topples over is the big question in financial markets, executive suites and the corridors of power.
Investors cheered Friday as the US struck a partial trade agreement with China and there were even signs the UK may strike a divorce deal with the European Union. But the debate over how close the world is to its first recession since 2009 may soon start swirling again.
There will certainly be discussions this week at the International Monetary Fund’s annual meeting in Washington. Bloomberg Economics’ global GDP tracker shows the pace of expansion has slowed to 2.2% in the third quarter, down from 4.7% at the start of 2018.
The IMF’s new boss, Kristalina Georgieva, sees a “serious risk" the slowdown will spread, and on Tuesday it’s likely to cut its 2019 global growth forecast from 3.2%, already the weakest since 2009.
Bond traders are certainly concerned -- $14 trillion of bonds are yielding negative rates. By contrast, equity investors have sent the MSCI World Index up 14% this year.
With Tom Orlik, chief economist at Bloomberg Economics, saying “a lot needs to go right" for the world to dodge a major slowdown, here are the arguments for and against worrying about a global recession in 2020.
Reasons to worry
Trade war
President Donald Trump’s 18-month trade clash with Chinese leader Xi Jinping has already put global growth under pressure. There was a breakthrough on Friday though with Beijing signing up to buy more American farm products and the White House suspending another round of tariffs. But the thorniest disputes remain outstanding and some duties remain in place. U.S. goals in the trade war center around accusations of intellectual-property theft, forced technology transfer and complaints about Chinese industrial subsidies. Trump could also still impose levies on European auto manufacturers.
Manufacturing malaise
Undoubtedly manufacturers have been the biggest trade-war victims, and global activity has contracted for five straight months. Of particular concern is the ailing automobile sector -- a headache for the export-heavy German and Japanese economies. Businesses are cutting back, and U.S. non-residential investment shrank in the second quarter for the first time in three years. The question is whether the pain at factories infects services, adding another element to the slump.
Geopolitics
As well as the US-China skirmish, the UK and EU have yet to seal a Brexit deal. The US is at odds with Iran after a drone attack on Saudi Arabian oil fields and an Iranian oil tanker caught fire after an explosion near the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah on Friday. That risks a jump in oil prices. Protests in Iraq have turned violent, Turkey launched an offensive in Syria and marches in Hong Kong might tip that economy into recession. Argentina is facing another fiscal crisis and looks likely to oust a market-friendly government, and Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela also have political problems. An impeachment probe into Trump as well as the 2020 election campaign could also prompt him to ramp up his anti-globalization agenda.
Profits pinched
Global profit growth stalled in the second quarter, depressing business confidence and leading to cutbacks in capital spending worldwide. Behind the earnings squeeze: rising worker wages, lackluster productivity growth and a general lack of pricing power. The danger is that profit-pinched corporations will next take the chop to their work forces, knocking consumer confidence and spending for a loop.
Squeezed Central Banks
Monetary policy may be easier than at the start of the year, but central banks lack ammunition and in some cases may have been too slow to act. The Federal Reserve has cut its benchmark rate by about 500 basis points in all three recessions since the early 1990s, yet it began this year with only half that amount available. The European Central Bank and Bank of Japan are already running negative rates with doubts about how much further they can go.
Reluctant governments
The IMF is among those urging governments to loosen budgets, but the signs are that fiscal policy will be reactive not pro-active. Although Morgan Stanley estimates the primary fiscal deficit has risen to 3.5% of gross domestic product in major economies from 2.4% last year, it sees it increasing only to 3.6% next year. Some governments are spending more, but China and Germany, both of which have room for fiscal stimulus, are holding back and Japan just raised its sales tax.
Reasons not to worry
The US
A model created by Bloomberg Economics puts the risk of a US recession next year at just 25%, and if the world’s biggest economy can stay upright that should help offset problems elsewhere. There’s also hope that the so-called stall speed at which a recession becomes almost guaranteed is lower than it once was for the US, meaning it can bump along at pace of around 1.5%. The US is also more closed an economy than others, meaning it should be able to carry on expanding even if global commerce takes a hit.
Hiring sprees
The American consumer has remained a pillar of growth in part because of the lowest unemployment rate in five decades. While the US labor market has shown signs of easing, it should continue to support household spending. Hiring sprees elsewhere have also helped and the Conference Board reported this week that its index of global consumer confidence remains near a record high.
Central Banks acting
The Fed has cut interest rates twice this year and may do so again this month, while the ECB has pushed its deposit rate further below zero and relaunched its bond-buying program. The Bank of Japan is also considering doing more. They’re not alone, with counterparts in India, Australia, South Korea, South Africa and Brazil among those also trimming their benchmarks. Monetary policy takes time to work, but should provide some support.
China
China may not be racing to the rescue as it did in previous slumps because of concern doing so would inflate debt levels, but it can still shift if needed. It’s already cut the amount of cash banks must hold in reserve to the lowest since 2007. Infrastructure spending by local governments is expected to tick higher and state investment also could surprise on the upside.
Fewer excesses
Prior slumps were driven by a correction of excesses such as the run-up in inflation in the 1980s, the bursting of the technology bubble in the U.S. at the start of this century or the collapse of housing a decade later. This time around, inflation is generally weak and while stock prices are elevated they are arguably not in bubble territory. Although home prices in Canada and New Zealand are frothy, households in many economies have cut back leverage.


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Is the global economy sliding into 1st recession since 2009.

India slips 10 places on global competitiveness index; Singapore on top - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India slips 10 places on global competitiveness index; Singapore on top.

India, which was ranked 58th earlier, is among the worst-performing BRICS nations.

India has moved down 10 places to rank 68th on an annual global competitiveness index, largely due to improvements witnessed by several other economies, while Singapore has replaced the US as the world's most competitive economy.

India, which was ranked 58th in the annual Global Competitiveness Index compiled by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF), is among the worst-performing BRICS nations along with Brazil (ranked even lower than India at 71st this year).
Announcing its latest index, the WEF said on Wednesday India ranks high in terms of macroeconomic stability and market size, while its financial sector is relatively deep and stable despite the high delinquency rate, which contributes to weakening the soundness of its banking system.
India is ranked also high at 15th place in terms of corporate governance, while it is ranked second globally for shareholder governance, the WEF study showed. In terms of the market size, India is ranked third, while it has got the same rank for renewable energy regulation.
Besides, India also punches above its development status when it comes to innovation, which is well ahead of most emerging economies and on par with several advanced economies, the report said.
But, these positive metrics contrast with major shortcomings in some of the basic enablers of competitiveness in case of India, the WEF said, while flagging limited ICT (information, communications and technology) adoption, poor health conditions and low healthy life expectancy.
The WEF said the healthy life expectancy, where India has been ranked 109th out of total the 141 countries surveyed for the index, is one of the shortest outside Africa and significantly below the South Asian average.
Besides, India needs to grow its skills base, while its product market efficiency is undermined by a lack of trade openness and the labour market is characterised by a lack of worker rights' protections, insufficiently developed active labour market policies and critical low participation of women.
With a ratio of female workers to male workers of 0.26, India has been ranked very low at 128th place. India is also ranked low at 118th in terms of meritocracy and incentivisation and at 107th place for skills.
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.
The WEF said the drop of 10 places in India's position to 68th place may look dramatic, but the decline in the country's competitiveness score is relatively small. 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.
The Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), which was launched in 1979, maps the competitiveness landscape of 141 economies through 103 indicators organised into 12 pillars.
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 is 4th and Switzerland is ranked 5th.
"The report shows that those countries which integrate into their economic policies an emphasis on infrastructure, skills, research and development and support those left behind are more successful compared to those that focus only on traditional factors of growth."
The report showed that several economies with strong innovation capability like Korea, Japan and France, or increasing capability, like China, India and Brazil, must improve their talent base and the functioning of theirlabour markets.
The presence of many competitive countries in Asia-Pacific makes this region the most competitive in the world, followed closely by Europe and North America.
China is ranked 28th (the highest ranked among the BRICS) while Vietnam is the most improved country in the region this year at 67th place.
The WEF said 10 years on from the global financial crisis, the global economy remains locked in a cycle of low or flat productivity growth despite the injection of more than USD 10 trillion by central banks.
"While these unprecedented measures were successful in averting a deeper recession, they are not enough on their own to catalyse the allocation of resources towards productivity-enhancing investments in the private and public sectors.
"As monetary policies begin to run out of steam, it is crucial for economies to rely on fiscal policy and public incentives to boost research and development, enhance the skills base of the current and future workforce, develop new infrastructure and integrate new technologies, among other measures," it added. (Source: The Economic Times)


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India slips 10 places on global competitiveness index; Singapore on top.

India slips to 7th position in global GDP ranking - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India slips to 7th position in global GDP ranking.

• India is the seventh-largest economy (GDP of $2.72 trillion) with the UK ($2.82 trillion) and France ($2.77 trillion) ahead in the pecking order
• The top economies in the list include the US ($20.5 trillion), followed by China ($13.6 trillion), Japan ($4.9 trillion) and Germany ($3.9 trillion)
India has slipped one notch in the World Bank’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rankings in 2018, and is now the seventh-largest economy with the United Kingdom and France ahead of India, data from the international lending institution said.

In 2018, India’s GDP was $2.72 trillion, while that of the United Kingdom was $2.82 trillion and France was $2.77 trillion. The world’s top four economies in the World Bank list in 2018 were the United States, with a GDP of $20.5 trillion, followed by China ($13.6 trillion), Japan ($4.9 trillion) and Germany ($3.9 trillion).
The data comes at a time when India has set the target of becoming a $5 trillion economy in GDP terms by 2024, and a $3 trillion economy in the current financial year.
In 2017, India had overtaken France as the sixth largest economy. According to news reports, India had also overtaken the United Kingdom for a short while.
In 2017, India’s GDP was $2.65 trillion, the UK’s was $2.64 trillion and France was at $2.59 trillion. But the UK and France seem to have overtaken India again in 2018.
Earlier this year, India lost the fastest growing economy tag, falling behind China. The country grew at its slowest pace in five years at 5.8% during January-March quarter in financial year 2018-19. Growth during 2018-19 declined to 6.8% from 7.2% a year ago.
Currency fluctuations and a slowdown in GDP growth were the key reasons behind the fall in global GDP rankings, said D.K. Srivastava, chief policy adviser at E&Y.
“The main reason is that the (GDP) growth slowed down last year and there are clear signs of continuity in the slowdown. India’s exports have also fallen and remained negative. Domestic demand is subdued. A significant fiscal stimulus is needed right now to revive growth."(Source: Livemint)


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India slips to 7th position in global GDP ranking.

India's loses 7 spots in global list of happiest nations, ranks 140th - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India's loses 7 spots in global list of happiest nations, ranks 140th.

The report was released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations on March 20 which has was declared as World Happiness Day by the UN General Assembly in 2012.

Indians are not as happy in 2019 as they were in 2018 and the country figures at 140th place, seven spots down from last year, on this year's UN World Happiness Report released Wednesday which is topped by Finland for the second year in a row.
The report was released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations on March 20 which has was declared as World Happiness Day by the UN General Assembly in 2012.

The report ranks countries on six key variables that support well-being: income, freedom, trust, healthy life expectancy, social support and generosity.
According to the report, the overall world happiness has fallen over the past few years, which has mostly been fuelled by a sustained drop in India, which came in 140th place this year compared with 133rd place in 2018.
The UN's seventh annual World Happiness Report, which ranks the world's 156 countries on "how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be", also noted that there has been an increase in negative emotions, including worry, sadness and anger.
Finland has been ranked as the happiest country in the world for the second year in succession. The Nordic nation is followed by Denmark, Norway, Iceland and The Netherlands.
Pakistan is ranked 67th, Bangladesh 125th and China is place at 93rd, according to the report.
People in war-torn South Sudan are the most unhappy with their lives, followed by Central African Republic (155), Afghanistan (154), Tanzania (153) and Rwanda (152).
The happiness study ranks the countries of the world on the basis of questions from the Gallup World Poll. The results are then correlated with other factors, including GDP and social security. (Source: The Business Standard)


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India's loses 7 spots in global list of happiest nations, ranks 140th.

Global sea level may be rising faster than previously thought: Scientists - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Global sea level may be rising faster than previously thought: Scientists.

Scientists have warned that the global sea level may be rising faster than previously thought.

The research, published in the journal Science, questions the reliability of how sea-level rise in areas such as southern Louisiana in the US is measured.
It further stated that the current measurement method underestimates the severity of the problem. Relative sea-level rise, which is a combination of rising water level and subsiding land, is traditionally measured using tide gauges.

Researchers from Tulane University in the US argue that in coastal Louisiana, tide gauges tell only a part of the story.
The study found that while tide gauges can accurately measure subsidence that occurs below their foundations, they miss out on the shallow subsidence component. With at least 60 per cent of subsidence occurring in the top five metres of the sediment column, tide gauges are not capturing the primary contributor to relative sea-level rise.
An alternative approach is to measure shallow subsidence using surface-elevation tables, inexpensive mechanical instruments that record surface elevation change in wetlands.
The data can then be combined with measurements of deep subsidence from Global Positioning System (GPS) data and satellite measurements of sea-level rise.
Rates of relative sea-level rise obtained from this approach are substantially higher than rates as inferred from tide-gauge data.


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Global sea level may be rising faster than previously thought: Scientists.

UN selects Noida to participate in Global Sustainable Cities 2025 initiative - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

UN selects Noida to participate in Global Sustainable Cities 2025 initiative.

The twin-cities of Noida, Greater Noida have been selected in the 'University City' category ahead of Mumbai and Bengaluru, which were also under UN consideration.

The United Nations on Sunday selected Noida and Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh to participate in its Global Sustainable Cities 2025 initiative.
The twin-cities in Gautam Buddh Nagar district, adjoining the national capital, have been selected in the "University City" category as the only invitee from India, a senior UN official said.
Twenty-five cities from across the world have been selected in five categories by the UN Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) cities initiative, senior UN advisor and CEO, UN Global Sustainability Index Institute (UNGSII), Roland Schatz told reporters.
Schatz formally extended the invitation to Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate Brajesh Narain Singh in the presence of Shubhro Sen, the principal advisor, India, SDG Initiative.
The SDGs are a collection of 17 global social and economic goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, including poverty reduction, elimination of hunger, greater gender equality and social justice, and environment-friendly practices to promote peace and prosperity.
"This is a proud moment for Noida and Greater Noida to be selected for this exciting global showcase. Now I will forward this invitation to the Uttar Pradesh government, which is very positive about development works," Singh said.
In the "University City" category, Noida-Greater Noida will be competing with elite university cities such as Cambridge, Palo Alto and Heidelberg.
The Organisation for International Economic Relations and UNGSII, in cooperation with the UN Office for Project Services and the UN Office for Partnerships are uniting 25 leading cities and five indigenous communities from around the world to prove that full SDG implementation by 2025 is possible when people come together and focus their efforts and resources on creating a sustainable future.
The "Race to 2025" will start in July in New York City when the programme is officially launched. The platform is formatted as a friendly competition with multiple activities, initiatives supported by SDG experts and industry partners with the common goal of illustrating that SDG implementation results in prosperity and quality-of-life for area citizens and business, while having no negative impact on the environment and reducing city operating expenses.


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UN selects Noida to participate in Global Sustainable Cities 2025 initiative.

India Ranks 103rd Among 119 Countries In Global Hunger Index - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India Ranks 103rd Among 119 Countries In Global Hunger Index.

Even as the world looks forward to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, which aims to end hunger, ensure food security and improve nutrition by 2030, a newly released report suggests that this might prove to be a Herculean task. The Global Hunger Index (GHI) for 2018 indicates that even as the level of hunger and undernutrition globally has fallen from 29.2% in 2000 to 20.9%, they continue to be in the serious category.

What is Global Hunger Index
The Global Hunger Index report released on October 11 is the thirteenth edition. Welthungerlife and Concern Worldwide has been issuing reports on hunger levels in the world since 2006. The main area of focus for this year’s report has been “Forced Migration and Hunger”.
GHI prepares the ranking on the basis of four indicators; undernourishment is the first indicator., the other three indicators use data for children below the age of five, that is child wasting, child stunting and child mortality. The South Asian region has the worst GHI score for this year, which stands at 30.5. It is closely followed by Africa South of the Sahara at 29.4%.

Of the 119 countries surveyed, India ranks at a dismal 103 with GHI score being 31.1. There is a slight improvement from 2010’s score of 32.2. To give a context on how bad the situation is for India, it may be noted that the best-performing nations have a score of less than 5.

21% of children in India are under-weight
It may be noted that South Asia’s child wasting rate has been termed to be critical. Child wasting refers to children having an extremely low weight for their height, which points to acute under-nutrition. India has the highest level of child wasting at 21%. As reported by The Hindu, India performs better than only war-torn Sudan in this aspect. Reportedly, this was worse than the previous years. It was 17.1% in 2000, which has now increased to 21% in 18 years.
A silver lining may be the fact that in terms of other parameters, India’s situation seems to have improved. The percentage of undernourished has dropped from 18.2% in 2000 to 14.8% in 2018. The child stunting (low height for age) has dropped from 54.2% in 2000 to 38.4% in 2018. The child mortality has reduced from 9.2% to 4.3% for the same period.
The Logical Indian take
According to the World Bank’s 2016 data, 1 in every 5 Indians is poor, and the 7 poorest states – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh – house 62% of the country’s poor. Unemployment in these regions is high, hence, the lack of funds to sustain life. While in our urban bubbles, we hardly realise the plight of more than half of our country’s population.
Food security in India is clearly alarming. Defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a “situation when all people at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”, India’s 2018 GHI ranking points at a situation fraught with despair.
The country is one of the largest grain producers in the world, despite which, more than 20% of the 1.3 population goes to bed hungry and farmers across the nation are protesting against their growing debt and rising suicide rate.
India also struggles to protect itself from natural disasters that continue to burden its food security. Precautionary measures are inept; take the example of floods that happen across the country every year, eroding cultivable land and destroying crop.


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India Ranks 103rd Among 119 Countries In Global Hunger Index.

India climbs to 57th position in Global Innovation Index ranking - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India climbs to 57th position in Global Innovation Index ranking.

India was ranked 57th in the latest Global Innovation Index (GII) rankings released recently. This marks the third consecutive year of India’s climb in GII rankings, starting in 2015. Switzerland, on the other hand, maintains its top stop for the second year in a row.

India has come a long way from 2015 when it was ranked 81st, 66th in 2016 and 60th in 2017. Even though India is ranked 57th globally, it occupies the top spot in the central and south Asian region.
China, along with India is on the climb, ranking 17th this year bettering its last year’s rank of 20th. India still needs to focus on some parameters to catch up to China.
According to the report, India’s weakness parameters include political stability & safety, ease of starting a business, overall education, ICT use, environmental performance, etc. There is a need to improve these parameters to move ahead in the rankings.
Chandrajit Banerjee, DG, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), said, “Given its size and innovation development, India has the potential to make a true difference to the global innovation landscape in the years to come. The Indian government and CII are working closely with the GII team to further improve the Indian innovation performance.”
Looking at the global front, countries that featured in the top 10 list are: Switzerland (1), Netherlands (2), Sweden (3), United Kingdom (4), Singapore (5), United States (6), Finland (7), Denmark (8), Germany (9), Ireland (10).
GII has emerged as an important tool in judging the countries based on their innovation, making it vital for business executives, policymakers, and other stakeholders. It is being used to evaluate the progress of countries on a continual basis. GII is jointly developed by Cornell University, INSEAD, along with World International Property Organisation (WIPO).
India’s Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is one of its knowledge partners that helps with the annual rankings.
GII ranks 126 economies based on 80 parameters, including, ease of starting a business, intellectual property filing rates, political stability & safety, online creativity, etc. It is now in its 11th year of publishing ranks since its inception in 2007.


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India climbs to 57th position in Global Innovation Index ranking.

India at the forefront of global growth in financial inclusion: World Bank - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

India at the forefront of global growth in financial inclusion: World Bank.

The report lists how the number of account holders in the country has risen from 35% of the adults in 2011 and 53% in 2014 to 80% in 2017.

The Global Findex Report, 2017 released by the World Bank on Friday gives India more than one reason to cheer, as it notes the rapid increase in financial inclusion that has taken place in the country.
The report lists how the number of account holders in the country has risen from 35 percent of the adults in 2011 and 53 percent in 2014 to 80 percent in 2017.
This, as per the report, is comparable to 80 percent of adults in China who have an account.
It also attributes the progress being driven by the Jan Dhan Yojana policy which has used biometric ID to expand access to financial services.
Further, it may be pertinent to note that the report sources its data largely from surveys that were conducted in the summer of 2017.
According to the government data sourced from the banks, the total number of Jan Dhan account holders has risen from 281.7 million in March 2017 to 314.4 million in March 2018.
The total number of current and savings accounts in banks has risen from 1.22 billion in March 2015 to 1.57 billion in March 2017.
The report states that about 514 million accounts have been opened globally from 2014 to 2017.
It is heartening to see that of these 514 million accounts, the number of Jan Dhan Accounts opened in India during the same period is about 28.17 crore, constituting almost 55 percent of the accounts opened globally during this period.
Further, the report takes cognizance of the "dramatically increased account ownership" in India and reduced gender gap in ownership by six percentage points vis-a-vis 2014 with 83 percent of the men and 77 percent women now having an account.
Moreover, among MUDRA loan beneficiaries, women account for almost 75 percent.
This reveals how, building on this basic foundation of providing a bank account to all its people, India has huge potential to further improve the account usage.
In what can be seen as an answer to apprehensions raised earlier by some critics on usage of digital payments in India, the report states that 36 percent of account owners in India are already using their accounts to make or receive digital payments.
It has also identified the large existing potential in India which can be utilised to improve on this count and give people more opportunities to use their accounts for digital transactions and mobile payments.
It recognises the availability of bank accounts, debit cards and mobile connections in India, which would be critical in improving the account usage in future.
In other words it may be said that the report reaffirms the potential of the "Jan Dhan-Aadhar-Mobile (JAM) Trinity" in expanding financial inclusion.
Other potential target groups identified in the report to increase digital payments are adults in India who have an account and a mobile phone.
Among these are about 50 million adults receiving payments for sale of agricultural goods, about 70 million adults working in the private sector and receiving wage payments in cash and about 170 million adults who pay their utility bills in cash.
This heartening review of India's financial inclusion and digital payment initiatives by the Global Findex Report, 2017 and the identification of potential waiting to be unlockedgives further impetus to the Government's ongoing efforts for financial inclusion. (Source: The Business Standard)


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India at the forefront of global growth in financial inclusion: World Bank.