Reports and Indices Current Affairs MCQs

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The warning was released in the United Nations 2025 Asia-Pacific Disaster Report by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Cities like Delhi, Karachi, Shanghai, Dhaka, Manila, and Seoul may face an extra 2 to 7 degree Celsius rise due to the urban heat island effect. Even if global warming is limited to 1.5–2 degree Celsius, city temperatures will rise much higher locally. India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh may face over 300 days above 35 degree Celsius heat index each year. A heat index above 41 degree Celsius poses extreme danger of heat stroke. The April–May 2024 Bangladesh heatwave affected 33 million people, while India lost about 700 lives.

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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) released its annual 2024 report titled Antimicrobial Resistance Research & Surveillance Network (AMRSN) on rising antibiotic resistance in India. Common infections like urinary tract infections (UTIs), pneumonia, sepsis, and diarrhoeal illnesses are increasingly harder to treat as routine antibiotics fail. Drugs such as fluoroquinolones, third-generation cephalosporins, carbapenems, and piperacillin-tazobactam are rapidly losing effectiveness. Gram-negative bacteria dominate hospital infections: E. coli (UTIs, bloodstream), Klebsiella pneumoniae (pneumonia, sepsis), Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa show high resistance. Experts warn urgent antibiotic stewardship and rational prescribing are essential to prevent common infections from becoming untreatable.

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India has been ranked third globally in the ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) Vibrancy’ index by Stanford University, following the US and China. The 2025 version of Stanford’s ‘Global AI Vibrancy Tool’ uses data up to 2024 and assesses countries’ preparedness for AI across seven pillars: Research & Development, Responsible AI, Economy, Talent, Policy & Governance, Public Opinion, and Infrastructure. The tool ranks 36 countries overall, with indicator-level data expanded to 67 countries in the AI Metrics Over Time category.

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UNESCO released its flagship report “Bhasha Matters: The State of Education Report for India 2025,” emphasizing that mother-tongue based instruction is essential for improving equity and learning outcomes in India. The report advocates for the adoption of Mother-Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) across the country to ensure linguistic inclusion and cultural preservation. The report recommends establishing a national mission on Mother-Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) to provide a unified and coordinated framework that ensures strong alignment between central and state governments.

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NITI Aayog released a major policy report titled ‘Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations’ in New Delhi. The report is the result of a collaborative effort between NITI Aayog and an IIT Madras–led consortium and is considered a pioneering publication in the Global South. The document emphasises the concept of “internationalisation at home” as envisaged in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and analyses internationalisation at global, national, and institutional levels. It examines academic mobility trends of the last 20 years, and explores opportunities for student/faculty mobility, international research partnerships, and establishment of overseas campuses by Indian institutions and foreign universities in India.

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TasteAtlas World Food Awards 2025–26 ranked the top 10 best food cities globally out of 18,828 cities, based on average ratings of regional and national dishes. European cities dominate the list, occupying 8 of the top 10 positions. Italy leads overwhelmingly, with six Italian cities in the top 10, and Italian cuisine ranked the world’s best in 2025–26. Mumbai, India, ranked 5th globally, making it the only Indian city in the top 10, celebrated for its iconic street food such as vada pav, pav bhaji, and bhelpuri. Other Indian cities in the top 100 include Delhi (48), Amritsar (53), Hyderabad (54), Kolkata (73), and Chennai (93).

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The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) released the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026 report. India’s GDP growth for 2025-26 is projected at 7.2%, slightly below the 7.4% forecast by the Indian government. India is now the fourth largest economy in the world. Growth is expected to be supported by resilient consumption, strong public investment, recent tax reforms, and monetary easing, which largely offset the impact of higher U.S. tariffs. On a fiscal year basis, India’s GDP is projected to grow 6.6% in 2026-27 and 6.8% in 2027-28.

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The Indian passport climbed five places to rank 80th in the 2026 Henley Passport Index. Indian citizens can travel visa-free or with visa-on-arrival to 55 destinations. In 2025, India was 85th with access to 57 destinations; in 2024, it was also 80th. India shares the 80th spot with Niger and Algeria. Top passports are from Asia: Singapore (1st, visa-free access to 192 destinations), Japan and South Korea (tied 2nd, 188 destinations). The Henley Passport Index ranks passports based on the number of destinations accessible without a prior visa. The data is compiled using statistics from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

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The Global Risk Report 2026 was released by the World Economic Forum (WEF). It identifies geoeconomic confrontation as the most significant global risk. In the short term (2026–2028), key risks include geoeconomic confrontation, state-based armed conflicts, extreme weather events, and rising societal polarisation. In the long term (up to 2036), major risks are extreme weather events, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem collapse. India faces major risks like cyber insecurity, inequality, and weak public services. Geoeconomic confrontation means using trade, technology, sanctions, and investment controls for strategic advantage.

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NITI Aayog released the report “Achieving Efficiencies in MSME Sector through Convergence of Schemes” to strengthen government support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). It provides a roadmap to improve MSME outcomes by streamlining scheme implementation, enhancing inter-ministerial coordination, and boosting financial, skill, marketing, and innovation support. The report evaluates existing central and state MSME schemes, examines convergence levels, and identifies best practices from India and abroad.