Press Freedom Index 2016
- Press freedom declined to its lowest point in 12 years in 2015, as political, criminal, and terrorist forces sought to co-opt or silence the media in their broader struggle for power.
- Only 13% of the world’s population enjoys a Free press—that is, where coverage of political news is robust, the safety of journalists is guaranteed, state intrusion in media affairs is minimal, and the press is not subject to onerous legal or economic pressures.
- Forty-one percent of the world’s population has a Partly Free press, and 46% live in Not Free media environments.
- Among the countries that suffered the largest declines in 2015 were Bangladesh, Turkey, Burundi, France, Serbia, Yemen, Egypt, Macedonia and Zimbabwe.
Global Youth Development Index
- India has ranked 133 out of 183 countries in Global Youth Development Index 2016 compiled by the Commonwealth Secretariat on October 29, 2016.
- It has registered an impressive improvement of nearly 11% in its youth development scores in the period between 2010 and 2015. One in five young people in the world today live in India, which makes it one of the most youthful countries on the planet.
- The YDI is a composite index of 18 indicators including literacy and mental disorder rates, financial inclusion and voter engagement that collectively measure multi-dimensional progress on youth development in 183 countries, including 49 of the 53 Commonwealth countries.
- India accounts for nearly 20% of the global youth population, with nearly 345 million young people between the ages of 15 and 30 living in the country.
See Also – UPSC Question Papers.
India Home to most Generous People Globally
- As per the World Giving Index (WGI) released by the Charity Aid Foundation (CAF), India’s overall position (percentage of population) in global generosity jumped to 91 in 2015 from 106 in 2014.
- The report adds that more than 200 million in India had given money up from 184 million in 2014 and 200 million people in India volunteered this year as compared to 157 million in 2014.
- Myanmar tops the world with 70% overall generosity, where 63% people helped strangers, 91% people donated money and 55% people volunteered time.
- Myanmar is followed by the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Canada, Indonesia, the UK, Ireland and the UAE.
WEF’s Global Gender Gap Index
- India has substantially improved its rank in the Global Gender Gap index moving from 108th to 87th position within a year, according to a report released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on October 25, 2016.
- Neighbour Pakistan, meanwhile, remains at the second last position, at rank 143 out of 144 countries. However, when it comes to women’s health, India is the third last, and as per the report, due to the situation in India and China, this gap is wider than it was in 2006.
- Among immediate neighbours, Bangladesh took the top position at 72nd rank — ahead of India. Sri Lanka stands at 100, Nepal at 110, the Maldives at 115 and Bhutan at 121.
