1. Global Fire Power Index 2023
The Global Firepower Report 2023 has rankedIndia as the 4th most powerful army in the world.
An overview of the news
145 countries are ranked this year in the Global Firepower Report.
Global Firepower ranks countries based on troop strength, national resources, financial status, logistics and geographic scale.
Themost powerful country in the world is the United States of America, followed by Russia, China, India.
Most powerful country in the Middle East and North African region
According to the Global Firepower Military Index 2023, Turkey has once again emerged as the most powerful country in the Middle East and North African region. Turkey has been placed at the 11th position in the global ranking.
Egypt and Iran are ranked second and third respectively in this index, while Egypt is ranked 14th and Iran is ranked 17th in the global ranking.
Egypt is ranked as the most powerful Arab country in terms of its military power.
Saudi Arabia emerged as the most powerful country among the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Saudi Arabia has the second most powerful military among the Arab countries. It is placed at the 22nd position in the global ranking.
Algeria is the most powerful of the North African countries, ranking 26th on the global index.
In this index, Lebanon has been described as the weakest country in the Middle East.
Top 10 Countries on Global Power Index 2023
1. America
2. Russia
3. China
4. India
5. United Kingdom
6. South Korea
7. Pakistan
8. Japan
9. France
10. Italy
2. Shahrukh Khan on the fourth position in the list of world's richest actors
Tags: Reports
The list of world's richest actors was released on the Twitter account of World of Statistics, in which Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan has overtaken Hollywood star Tom Cruise to become the world's richest actor.
Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan is the only actor from India in this list, whose total assets are more than 770 million dollars i.e. 6 thousand 300 crores.
Jerry Seinfeld has been placed at number one in this list.
Shahrukh Khan has also left behind Tom Cruise and Jackie Chan.
Hollywood star Jackie Chan is at number six on the list with earnings of $520 million.
5 Richest Actors In The World
1. Jerry Seinfeld (American) – (Rs 8200 crore)
2. Tyler Perry (American) – (Rs 8200 crore)
3. Dan Johnson (American) – (6500 crores)
4. Shahrukh Khan (Indian) – (6300 crores)
5. Tom Cruise (American) – (5900 crores)
3. India’s richest 1% own more than 40% of total wealth: Oxfam
Tags: Reports
According to a recent report by Oxfam International, more than 40 percent of India's total wealth is held by just one percent of the country's richest people, while 50 percent of the population has only three percent of the country's total wealth.
News Overview
According to the report, from the beginning of the Corona epidemic in the country to November 2022, the wealth of the country's billionaires has increased by 121 percent.
The total number of billionaires in the country has increased from 102 in 2020 to 166 in 2022.
According to the report, the total wealth of the 100 richest people of India has increased to US$ 660 billion i.e. about Rs 54.12 lakh crore.
According to the report, the contribution of the richest 10 percent of the country's 10 percent of the country's richest people was just 3 percent of the Rs 14.83 lakh crore collected through Goods and Services Tax (GST) during 2021-22.
While about 64 percent contribution in this has been given by the people coming from the weakest 50 percent sections of the country in terms of economic status.
Oxfam International said that a 5 percent tax on India's ten richest people could provide enough money to get children back to school.
4. 1668 Journalists killed in the last 20 years: Reporters without Borders.
Tags: Reports International News
According to the yearend report of the Reporters without Borders (RSF) which was published on 31 December 2022, a total of 1,668 journalists have been killed worldwide in connection with their work of journalism over the past two decades (2003–2022), due to murders, contract killings, ambushes, war zone deaths, and fatal injuries.
The report says that on an average every year 80 journalists lost their lives.
Due to the war in Syria over 144 journalists lost their lives in 2012 and 142 journalists died in 2013.
According to the RSF, in the last two decades, 80% of the deaths of journalists have happened in 15 countries. Syria and Iraq have the highest death rates, with a total of 578 journalists killed there over the past twenty years. This is about 1/3 of the world’s death rate.
After these dangerous countries the most unsafe countries for journalists were Afghanistan, Yemen, and Palestine.
Reporters without Borders (RSF)
Reporters without Borders (RWB) is an international non-profit organisation.
- It was founded by four journalists in 1985 in Montpellier, France.
- RSF works to safeguard and promote the freedom of information.
- Headquarters: Paris, France
- It has 7 offices in London, Brussels, Tunis, Washington DC, Rio de Janeiro, Dakar, and Taipei.
5. FDI investment still more in service sector than manufacturing sector: Ind-Ra report
Tags: Reports Economy/Finance
According to a research report published on 28 December 2022 by the India Ratings & Research (Ind-Ra) the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India was still limited to few sectors and maximum investment was still in the service sectors.
According to Ind-Ra despite the government’s effort to attract more investments in the manufacturing sector through “Make in India" campaign, the FDI inflow is still tilted in favour of the services sector,"
Ind-Ra believes this could be because doing business in the services sector is less complicated than doing business in the manufacturing sector in India. This could also be the reason for the majority of the FDI coming in the manufacturing sector is not a Greenfield investment.
Main points of the report
The share of the services sector and computer software & hardware in the FDI between April 2014 and March 2022 were as high as 41.3% and 19.6%, respectively, while manufacturing accounted for just 25.4%.
Between April 2000 and March 2014, the share of the services sector and computer software & hardware in such inflows were 37% and 5.9%, respectively, and that of manufacturing was as much as 35.4%.
Of the total FDI inflow of $146.7 billion during October 2019 and March 2022, just four states attracted 83.0% of the FDI with Maharashtra accounting for 27.5%, Karnataka 23.9%, Gujarat 19.1% and Delhi 12.4%.
According to the report three distinct FDI corridors have emerged in India. They are the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) in the North, Maharashtra-Gujarat in the west and Karnataka-Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh-Telangana in the South.
Among the emerging market economies, India has done reasonably well in attracting FDIs. Only China has been consistently ahead of India.
According to the World investment Report 2022 of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), India is ranked 7 FDI destinations globally.
India Rating and Research (Ind-Ra)
India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) is a subsidiary of the global rating company Fitch. It is a credit rating agency headquartered in Mumbai. Ind-Ra is recognised by the Securities and Exchange Board of India and Reserve Bank of India.
Chairman, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer: Rohit Karan Sawhney
6. Government owned WAPCOS ranked as top consulting firm by the Asian Development Bank
Tags: Reports National Economy/Finance
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The Asian Development Bank(ADB) in its annual Procurement report 2022 has ranked the Government of India owned Water and Power Consultancy Services India Limited (WAPCOS) Company as the top Consulting Services Firm in Water and other Infrastructure Sectors.
In another report on its Members’ Fact Sheet - 2022 released by the ADB, WAPCOS figured amongst the top 3 Consultants from India involved in Consulting Services Contracts under ADB Loan, Grant and Technical Assistance Projects in Energy, Transport and Water & other Urban Infrastructure Sectors. WAPCOS is the only Indian Public Sector to feature in the above categories.
The Manila, Philippines based Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank for Asia and Asia-Pacific region. It has 68 member countries and it is headed by Masatsugu Asakawa. It also releases the Asian development Outlook report.
WAPCOS
It was established by the government of India in 1969 under the aegis of the Ministry of Water Resources to utilize India’s knowledge and expertise in the field of water resources by sharing and exporting technology to friendly developing nations.
In 1979 the name of the Company was changed from “Water and Power Development Consultancy Services (India) Limited” to “Water and Power Consultancy Services (India) Limited.”
Apart from India, the Company has successfully completed/on-going consultancy assignments in more than 51 Countries covering Asia, Africa, CIS, Pacific Islands and South America.
Chairman cum Managing Director: Rajni Kant Aggrawal
Headquarters: New Delhi
7. 1.53 lakh people died in 4.12 lakh road accidents in 2021: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Report
According to a report released by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on 28 December 2022 a total of 4,12,432 road accidents occurred in the 2021 calendar year which claimed 1,53,972 lives while 3,84,448 people were injured.
The report titled 'Road accidents in India — 2021', said major indicators related to accidents have performed better in 2021 when compared to 2019.
According to the report, "Road accidents decreased by 8.1 percent and injuries decreased by 14.8 percent in 2021 compared to 2019. Fatalities, however, on account of road accidents increased by 1.9 percent in 2021 corresponding to the same period in 2019,”
Not wearing seat belt and helmet a reason for road fatalities
- According to the report a total of 16,397 persons were killed in road accidents in 2021 due to not wearing seat belt, of which 8,438 were drivers and remaining 7,959 were passengers.
- A total of 46,593 persons were killed in road accidents due to not wearing a helmet, of which 32,877 were drivers and 13,716 were passengers.
- According to the report, not wearing a helmet caused injuries to 93,763 persons and not wearing seat belts caused injuries to 39,231 persons during 2021.
- Not using safety devices such as helmet and seat belt does not cause accidents but are critical for averting fatal and grievous injuries in the event of road accidents.
- Although not wearing a seat belt by passengers sitting in the rear seats attracts a fine of Rs 1,000 under Rule 138 (3) of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR), most people are either unaware of this mandatory rule or just ignore it.
The country saw an unprecedented decrease in accidents, fatalities, and injuries. This was due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant stringent nationwide lockdown particularly during March-April, 2020 followed by gradual unlocking and phasing out of the containment measures, it said.
The report is based on the data/information received from police departments of states/Union Territories collected on a calendar year basis in standardized formats as provided by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) under the Asia Pacific Road Accident Data (APRAD) base project.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways: Nitin Gadkari
8. India to become 3rd largest Economy in the world by 2037; CEBR
Tags: Reports Economy/Finance
The United Kingdom based economics consultancy firm Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) has predicted that India will become the third-largest economy by 2037.
Its annual report titled ‘World Economic League Table’ tracks macroeconomic developments globally and countrywise. It presents forecasts for 191 countries of the world.
According to the 14th edition of the report released on 26 December 2022, it says that in the next five years India's annual economic growth is expected to average 6.4%. After that, the growth is expected to average 6.5% in the subsequent nine years.
It expects the Indian economy to grow by 6.8% in 2022-23.
The reported growth trajectory will see India rise from fifth place on the World Economic League Table’ in 2022 to third in the global rankings by 2037 after China and the United States of America.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), India is expected to become the 3rd largest economy in the world by 2027-28. According to the SBI EcoWrap report India is likely to become the 3rd largest economy in 2029.
According to the IMF India is likely to overtake Great Britain and become the 5th largest economy in 2022-23 after the United States, China, Japan and Germany.
9. 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.
10. India ranked 3rd globally in the publication of scientific papers; Union Minister Jitendra Singh
Tags: Reports National Science and Technology Person in news
According to the Union Minister for Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh India has been ranked 3rd globally in the publication of scientific papers. Quoting the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Science & Engineering Indicators 2022 report of the United States, India’s position globally in scientific publications, has improved from 7th position in 2010 to 3rd position in 2020. He also said that India’s scholarly output increased from 60,555 papers in 2010 to 1, 49,213 papers in 2020.
China leads the world in the publication of the maximum number of scientific papers followed by The United States of America.
Dr Jitendra Singh also said that India now ranks 3rd in terms of the number of PhDs in science and engineering.
The National Science Foundation is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering.
