Reports and Indices Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
The India Rankings 2024 were released by the Union Education Minister, based on the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). IIT Madras ranked 1st in the Overall Category for the sixth year and in Engineering for the ninth year.
IISc Bengaluru topped the Universities Category for the ninth year and Research Institutions for the fourth year. IIM Ahmedabad ranked 1st in Management for the fifth year. AIIMS Delhi topped the Medical Category for the seventh year. Jamia Hamdard, Delhi, ranked 1st in Pharmacy. NLSIU Bengaluru retained 1st position in Law. NIRF was launched in 2015 and uses five broad parameters for ranking. The 2024 edition introduced three new categories: State Public Universities, Open Universities, and Skill Universities, and integrated “Innovation” rankings.

Notes:
The International Labour Organization released the “Global Employment Trends for Youth 2024” report, marking its 20th anniversary. The report highlights achievements, challenges, and future outlooks for youth employment. In 2023, the global youth unemployment rate dropped to 13%, the lowest in 15 years, with 64.9 million unemployed youth, the lowest since 2000. 20.4% of youth were classified as NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training), showing broad labor market exclusion. Two-thirds of young NEETs are women.

Notes:
The UN General Assembly recently launched the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) to help small island states and developing countries access low-interest financing. The MVI is a new international benchmark for measuring vulnerability and resilience in sustainable development at the national level. It complements traditional metrics like GDP by addressing the specific needs of countries with unique vulnerabilities that don’t qualify for low-interest financing based solely on GDP per capita. The UN is working with small island developing states (SIDS) to develop and implement the MVI.

Notes:
The Ministry of Women and Child Development released the Model Foster Care Guidelines (MFCG), 2024, updating the 2016 guidelines based on various legal frameworks. Foster care involves placing a child with a family other than their biological one, approved by the Child Welfare Committee. The new guidelines extend eligibility to single females and allow them to foster or adopt any gender, while single males can only foster male children. Any individual can foster, regardless of marital status, but married couples must have a stable relationship of 2 years. Foster parents can now adopt a child after fostering for 2 years, instead of 5.

Notes:
NITI Aayog recently released a “Pathways and Strategies for Accelerating Growth in Edible Oils towards Goal of Atma Nirbharta” report. The report reviews the current state of the sector, its potential, and strategies to address challenges. Nine major oilseed crops cover 14.3% of the cropped area, contributing 12-13% to dietary energy and 8% to agricultural exports. Soybean leads in production, followed by rapeseed-mustard and groundnut. Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are the top producers, with Gujarat and Maharashtra also significant contributors. Rising consumption has led to increased imports, with palm oil making up 59% of imports. Oilseed production and yield have been growing, with projections to reach 43 MT by 2030 and 55 MT by 2047.

Notes:
NITI Aayog released an Expert Group Report on future pandemic preparedness, reflecting on COVID-19 challenges.
It highlights the “One Health” approach for zoonotic disease threats. Issues faced during COVID-19 included outdated laws, fragmented data sources, and weak industry-research links. Key recommendations include enacting a Public Health Emergency Management Act (PHEMA) to cover broader crises. It proposes creating an Empowered Group of Secretaries for pandemic preparedness, setting up a special fund, and improving data integration. It calls for a stronger surveillance network, predictive modeling, and innovation hubs for vaccine development and skill-building.

Notes:
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) released the 2nd Edition of the Ozone and UV Bulletin on World Ozone Day (16 September). This day celebrates the Montreal Protocol and its amendment, the Kigali Agreement. The theme for this year is “Montreal Protocol: Advancing Climate Actions.” Key findings show the ozone layer is recovering, with ozone-depleting substances (ODS) decreasing. Full recovery is expected by 2066 over Antarctica, 2045 over the Arctic, and 2040 globally. The Kigali Amendment could reduce global warming by 0.5°C by 2100. Ozone depletion is mainly caused by ODS, especially in the Antarctic.

Notes:
International Rhino Foundation recently published the report named ‘State of the Rhino 2024’ report. It highlights positive trends for Greater One-Horned Rhinos. Their population has increased by 20% in the last decade, now exceeding 4,000. They are found in the Indo-Nepal Terai, northern West Bengal, and Assam. India has 3,262 Greater One-Horned Rhinos (2021), mostly in Assam. Over 90% of them are in Kaziranga National Park.

Notes:
India ranked 39th among 133 global economies in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024. It is also 1st among 10 economies in Central and Southern Asia and 1st among lower-middle-income economies. India ranks 4th in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Science & Technology Cluster Ranking. Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai are in the World’s Top 100 S&T clusters. India is 7th globally in intangible asset intensity, up from 81st in 2015. GII evaluates global innovation trends, with Switzerland, Sweden, the US, Singapore, and the UK leading innovation globally.

Notes:
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released the 7th issue of “EnviStats India 2024: Environment Accounts.” EnviStats covers information on natural resources, environmental degradation, and government efforts for management. It follows the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) framework for compiling environmental accounts. Coverage of mangroves increased by about 8% from 2013 to 2021. There has been a 72% increase in the number and a 16% increase in the area of protected lands from 2000 to 2023. This edition introduces Ocean Accounts for environmental reporting. The report also updates the Soil Nutrient Index using Soil Health Card data for 2023-24.