Reports and Indices Current Affairs MCQs

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According to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 12 out of 30 Chief Ministers (40%) in India have declared criminal cases against themselves. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has declared the highest number with 89 cases. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has declared 47 cases. Andhra Pradesh’s Chandrababu Naidu declared 19 cases, Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah 13, and Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren five. Maharashtra’s Devendra Fadnavis and Himachal Pradesh’s Sukhvinder Singh declared four each, Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan two, and Punjab’s Bhagwant Mann one. 10 Chief Ministers (33%) declared serious criminal cases like attempt to murder, kidnapping, bribery, and criminal intimidation.

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Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in India reached a record low of 25 in 2023, down 37.5% from 40 in 2013, as per Sample Registration System (SRS) report by Registrar General of India. IMR measures deaths of children per 1,000 live births under one year; lower numbers indicate better health access. Highest IMR reported in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh at 37; lowest in Manipur at 3; Kerala at 5. Rural IMR dropped from 44 to 28; urban IMR from 27 to 18. Birth rate declined from 36.9 in 1971 to 18.4 in 2023; highest in Bihar at 25.8, lowest in Andaman & Nicobar at 10.1. Death rate decreased from 14.9 in 1971 to 6.4 in 2023; Chandigarh lowest at 4, Chhattisgarh highest at 8.3. Data highlights improvements in public health and narrowing rural-urban gaps.

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India’s Crude Birth Rate (CBR) declined from 19.1 in 2022 to 18.4 in 2023, a fall of 0.7 points. Total Fertility Rate (TFR) fell for the first time in two years to 1.9 in 2023 from 2.0 in 2021–22. Bihar reported the highest CBR at 25.8, while Tamil Nadu had the lowest at 12. Bihar also had the highest TFR at 2.8, while Delhi reported the lowest at 1.2. 18 States and Union Territories (UTs) recorded TFR below the replacement level of 2.1. Northern States with above-replacement TFR include Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. Data comes from the Sample Registration Survey (SRS) 2023 released by the Registrar General of India.

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The World Trade Organization (WTO) released the World Trade Report 2025 highlighting the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on global trade. With proper enabling policies, AI could boost cross-border trade of goods and services by nearly 40% by 2040 through productivity gains and lower costs. Global trade is projected to rise by 34–37%, while global GDP may increase by 12–13% by 2040 under different scenarios. In 2023, global trade in AI-enabling goods like semiconductors and raw materials was worth USD 2.3 trillion. If low- and middle-income nations narrow their digital gap by 50%, their incomes could rise by 15% and 14% respectively. Report stresses bridging the digital divide, investing in skills, and ensuring open, predictable trade policies.

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Recently, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released the State of Global Water Resources 2024 report on 19 September 2025. It warns that the global water cycle is becoming highly erratic, swinging between floods and droughts. 2024 marked the third straight year of glacier loss worldwide. Many small-glacier regions have reached or are nearing “Peak Water Point,” after which runoff will decline due to glacier shrinkage. Two-thirds of global river basins had abnormal water levels, with only one-third showing normal conditions for the sixth consecutive year. The report calls for stronger global data sharing and investments to close monitoring gaps. Currently, 3.6 billion people lack adequate water at least one month per year, projected to rise to over 5 billion by 2050.

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In September 2025, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India released the report “State Finances – 2022-23: A Decadal Analysis.” Revenue receipts of 28 States in Financial Year 2022-23 (FY23) were ₹35.13 lakh crore which was 22.96% of combined Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of ₹259 lakh crore. Revenue Surplus was seen in 16 States with Uttar Pradesh ₹37,000 crore at the top. Other surplus states include Gujarat (₹19,865 crore), Odisha (₹19,456 crore), Jharkhand (₹13,564 crore), Karnataka (₹13,496 crore), Chhattisgarh (₹8,592 crore), Telangana, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Goa Revenue Deficit was recorded in 12 States with Andhra Pradesh highest deficit. Revenue Deficit Grants were ₹86,201 crore with West Bengal getting the largest share. Some states boosted own tax and non-tax revenue with Haryana (80%) highest, followed by Telangana (79%), Maharashtra (73%) and Gujarat (72%).

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The ‘Solar PV Potential Assessment of India (Ground-Mounted)’ report was launched by the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) under the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE). The report provides a policy-linked, investment-ready framework to guide project siting, infrastructure development, and private sector participation in solar energy. India has crossed 250 GW of non-fossil fuel installed capacity and aims for 500 GW by 2030, energy independence by 2047, and net-zero emissions by 2070. It provides a policy-linked, investment-ready framework for project siting, infrastructure, and private sector participation.

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Cybercrime in India rose sharply by 31.2% in 2023, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report. Total cybercrime cases increased to 86,420 in 2023 from 65,893 in 2022. Fraud dominated with 59,526 cases (68.9%), followed by sexual exploitation 4,199 cases (4.9%) and extortion 3,326 cases (3.8%). Cybercrime rate increased from 4.8% in 2022 to 6.2% in 2023. Karnataka reported the highest cases (21,889), followed by Telangana 18,236 and Uttar Pradesh 10,794. Economic offences rose by 6% to 2,04,973 cases in 2023. Among economic offences, Forgery, Cheating and Fraud (FCF) had 1,81,553 cases, criminal breach of trust 22,759, and counterfeiting 661.

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The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reported 4,64,029 road accidents in 2023, which was 17,261 more than 2022 Fatalities rose by 1.6%, from 1,71,100 in 2022 to 1,73,826 in 2023. A total of 4.47 lakh people were injured and over 1.73 lakh lost their lives. Nearly 46% of victims were two-wheeler riders, causing 79,533 deaths. Pedestrians accounted for 27,586 deaths (15.9%), and SUV/car/jeep accidents caused 24,776 deaths (14.3%). Tamil Nadu reported most two-wheeler deaths, while Uttar Pradesh topped in SUV and truck-related deaths. Major causes were speeding (58.6%) and careless driving (23.6%). Most deaths were on National Highways (34.6%) and State Highways (23.4%).

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According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2023 report, forces of nature caused 6,444 deaths in India. Lightning strikes accounted for 2,560 deaths (39.7%), the highest among natural causes. Heat/sun stroke caused 804 deaths and cold exposure claimed 733 lives. Floods, landslides, torrential rains, snake bites, animal and insect attacks were other major causes. Snake bites killed 10,144 people, up 0.6% from 2022. Odisha (1,351) recorded the highest deaths, followed by Uttar Pradesh (852), Madhya Pradesh (789), and Bihar (679). Most victims (63.6%) were aged 30–60 years. Telangana had 62% deaths due to heat stroke among 137 natural deaths. Landslide deaths were highest in Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya.