1. Henley Passport Index 2023 : Japan retained its top position
Tags: INDEX
Japan has retained its position as the most favourable passport in the world, according to the latest Henley Passport Index, which allows visa-free entry to 193 global destinations.
An overview of the news
Japan is at the top for the fifth year in a row.
Singapore and South Korea are joint second in the ranking, followed by Germany and Spain and then several other European nations.
The US was among the top 22 with visa-free access to 186 destinations, matching the likes of Switzerland, New Zealand and Norway.
Compared to last year India's position has improved by two points. India is at 85th position in the ranking.
An Indian passport holder can travel visa-free to 59 countries, although in 2022 the number was 60.
Mauritius and Uzbekistan passports are as powerful as India's passports.
Top 10 countries in Henley Passport Index 2023
Japan - 193 destination
Singapore, South Korea 192 destination
Germany, Spain 190 destination
Finland, Italy, Luxembourg 189 destination
Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden 188 destination
France, Ireland, Portugal, United Kingdom 187 destination
Belgium, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United States 186 destination
Australia, Canada, Greece, Malta 185 destination
Hungary, Poland 184 destination
Lithuania, Slovakia 183 destination
85. India, Mauritania, Uzbekistan 59 destination
2. India's Cuisine Ranked Fifth in the list of best Cuisines of the World
Tags: INDEX
According to Taste Atlas, India ranks fifth in the global list of best cuisines for 2022.
Important facts
- The ranking is based on audience votes for ingredients, dishes and beverages.
- Italy's cuisine topped the ranking, followed by Greece and Spain.
- India received 4.54 points and the best rated foods of the country include "garam masala, malai, ghee, butter garlic naan, keema".
- There are a total of 460 items in this list. Also, the list has the best restaurants for Indian cuisine like Shree Thakar Bhojnalaya (Mumbai), Karavalli (Bengaluru), Bukhara (New Delhi), Dum Pukht (New Delhi), Comorin (Gurugram) and 450 others.
- Chinese cuisine, which is the world's most popular, however, ranked 11th on the list.
Top 10 Cuisines in the world
- Italy
- Greece
- Spain
- Japan
- India
- Maxico
- Turkiye
- United States
- France
- Peru
Top 5 "Best Traditional Dishes" in the world
- Kare (Japan),
- Picanha (Brazil),
- Ameijoas a Bulhao Pato (Portugal),
- Tangbao (China),
- Guotie (China),
3. Puducherry and Aizawl (Mizoram) adjudged best performing State and District in Social Progress Index
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The Prime Minister Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) on 20 December 2022 released the Social Progress Index (SPI) for States and Districts prepared by the Institute for Competitiveness and Social Progress Imperative.
The index assesses states and districts based on 12 components across three critical dimensions of social progress - Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing, and Opportunity. The index uses an extensive framework comprising 89 indicators at the state level and 49 at the district level.
- Basic Human Needs assess the performance of states and districts in terms of Nutrition and Basic Medical Care, Water and Sanitation, Personal Safety and Shelter.
- Foundations of Wellbeing evaluates the progress made by the country across the components of Access to Basic Knowledge, Access to Information and Communication, Health and Wellness, and Environmental Quality.
- Opportunity focuses on Personal Rights, Personal Freedom and Choice, Inclusiveness, and Access to Advanced Education.
Based on the SPI scores, states and districts have been ranked under six tiers of social progress. The tiers are Tier 1: Very High Social Progress; Tier 2: High Social Progress; Tier 3: Upper Middle Social Progress; Tier 4: Lower Middle Social Progress; Tier 5: Low Social Progress; and Tier 6: Very Low Social Progress.
Top Ranked States/Union Territories
State /Union Territories | SPI | Rank |
Puducherry | 65.99 | 1 |
Lakshadweep | 65.89 | 2 |
Goa | 65.53 | 3 |
Sikkim | 65.10 | 4 |
Mizoram | 64.19 | 5 |
Bottom Ranked State
Jharkhand was ranked at the bottom, 36th with SPI score of 43.95 and Bihar was ranked at 35th with a score of 44.47.
Uttar Pradesh with a SPI score of 49.16 was ranked 31st and was put in the Low Social progress category.
Top performing districts
Aizawl (Mizoram), Solan (Himachal Pradesh), and Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) are the top 3 best-performing districts.
4. India ranked 87th in the world strongest passport list 2022
Tags: INDEX
India ranked 87 in the world's strongest passport list, while UAE ranked first in the rating of passports for 2022.
Important facts
UAE was followed by Germany, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain and France.
Afghanistan remained at the last position while Pakistan was ranked 94th.
Japan ranked 24th because it had easy access to 171 countries.
Earlier this year, Japan's passport was ranked as the best passport in the world in a list released by Henley & Partners.
Passport Index 2022 published by Arton Capital ranked the world's strongest and weakest passports.
Travellers with UAE passports can enter 180 countries without any hassle.
Except European countries like Germany and Sweden, there are more than 7 such countries which are in this index.
The Passport Index is based on the 139 members of the United Nations. 6 different aspects have been considered to make this list.
The data for this list has been given by the governments of different countries.
To make this list, work is done on 3 steps, which rates on the basis of Mobility Score (MS).
This also includes the VF portion of Visa-free (VF), Visa on Arrival (VOA), eTA and eVisa (if issued within 3 days).
5. NSE Indices launches new Nifty Bharat Bond Index
Tags: INDEX
NSE Indices, a subsidiary of National Stock Exchange, has launched another index under Nifty Bharat Bond Index series on 2nd December.
Important facts
The name of the new index is Nifty Bharat Bond Index — April 2033.
It has been launched under the Nifty Bharat Bond Index Series.
Bharat Bond Index Series follows a target maturity date structure.
Each index in the series measures the performance of a portfolio of 'AAA' rated bonds issued by government-owned entities maturing in a specific year.
In December 2019, NSE Indices launched the first two indices in the Bharat Bond Index with maturities in April 2023 and April 2030, and in July 2020, further two indices with maturities in April 2025 and April 2031 were launched.
The upcoming Bharat Bond ETF (exchange traded fund) which is sixth in the Bharat Bond ETF series will track the newly launched Nifty BHARAT Bond Index maturing in 2033.
The Nifty Bharat Bond Index – April 2033 has a base date of November 30, 2022 and a base value of 1,000. The index will be rebalanced/reconstituted at the end of every calendar quarter.
It will provide more investment choices to fixed income investors and will help create a structure of various maturities.
6. India Jumps to 48th Rank in Global Aviation Safety Ranking
Tags: INDEX
India has jumped to the 48th position — its highest ever spot in the global aviation safety ranking released by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Important facts
Four years ago, India was at 102nd position.
India’s score in terms of effective implementation of key safety elements has improved to 85.49%, putting it ahead of China (49), Israel (50) and Turkey (54).
India’s score in the 2018 Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme was 69.95%.
India and Georgia are at the 48th position in the ranking with a score of 85.49 per cent.
Neighbouring country Pakistan ranks 100th with a score of 70.39 per cent.
Assessment of ICAO
Under the ICAO standards, the Effective Implementation (EI) of six areas were assessed. They are LEG, ORG, PEL, OPS, AIR and AGA.
LEG is Primary Aviation Legislation and Specific Operating Regulations.
ORG is Civil Aviation Organisation.
PEL is Personnel Licensing and Training.
OPS is Aircraft Operations.
AIR is Airworthiness of Aircraft.
AGA is Aerodrome and Ground Aid.
Global Scenario
In the ranking, Singapore is at the top, followed by the UAE and South Korea at the second and third positions, respectively.
Others in the top ten are France (4th), Iceland (5th), Australia (6th), Canada (7th), Brazil (8th), Ireland (9th) and Chile (10th).
About International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
It is a specialised agency of the United Nations.
It coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation.
It fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth.
Headquarters are located in the Quartier International of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
7. IIT Delhi in top 50 of Times Higher Education Employability Rankings
The Global Employability University Rankings and Survey (GEURS) ranks the top 250 universities in the world for producing employable graduates according to employers.
Important facts
This ranking has been released by Times Higher Education (THE).
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi is the only Indian educational institution in the top 50 in the ranking.
Among Indian institutions, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru is at the second spot (58), followed by IIT-Bombay at 72.
The latest THE Rankings have five Indian institutions in top 200.
Times Higher Education is a British magazine exclusively reporting on news and issues relating to higher education.
Top 5 Universities
Massachusetts Institute of Technology - USA
California Institute of Technology - USA
Harvard University - USA
University of Cambridge - UK
Stanford University -USA
8. India moves up 6 place to be ranked 61st on the Network Readiness Index 2022
Tags: INDEX National Science and Technology
India has improved its rank by 6 places to be ranked at 61 place in the recently released Network Readiness Index 2022 (NRI 2022). The report prepared by the US-based non-profit body Portulans Institute compliments India and says that “India has a greater network readiness than would be expected given its income level”.
The Network Readiness Index ranks the 131 countries on 58 variables across four pillars of four different pillars: Technology, People, Governance, and Impact.
India’s Performance
- India improved its score from 49.74 in 2021 to 51.19 in 2022.
- India has secured 1st rank in “AI talent concentration”,
- 2nd rank in “Mobile broadband internet traffic within the country” and “International Internet bandwidth”,
- 3rd rank in “Annual investment in telecommunication services” and “Domestic market size”, 4th rank in “ICT Services exports” and
- 5th rank in “FTTH/Building Internet subscriptions” and “AI scientific publications”.
- India is ranked 3rd out of 36 in the group of lower-middle-income countries after Ukraine (50) and Indonesia (59).
Top three countries on the Network Readiness Index
The United States topped the list with an overall score of 80.3. It was followed by Singapore with a score of 79.35 and Sweden with a score of 78.91.
In the Asia Pacific region, the list was led by Singapore, followed by South Korea and Japan.
Full Forms
FTTH: Fiber to the Home
ICT: Information Communication Technology
AI: Artificial Intelligence
