Reports and Indices Current Affairs MCQs

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Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Mansukh Mandaviya launched the World Bank report ‘Jobs at Your Doorstep: A Jobs Diagnostics for Young People’, covering six STARS states: Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan. The report analyzes skills gaps, aligns school trades with local industries, and offers a roadmap to improve education and job linkages. It highlights embedding skill-based education from Classes 9-12, aligned with NEP 2020, targeting 50% skill education access by 2025. The initiative supports India’s vision to become a global skills hub and achieve high-income status by 2047 through market-linked, inclusive skill development.

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The WTO released a report titled “Trading with Intelligence,” exploring AI’s impact on global trade. AI regulation fragmentation may affect trade opportunities for MSMEs. The concentration of AI development in large economies creates a trade divide. Data governance challenges, like cross-border data flow restrictions, may raise trade costs. AI offers opportunities to reduce trade costs by automating customs and border processes. Universal AI adoption could boost global trade growth by 14% by 2040. AI could transform service trade, especially digitally delivered and manual service sectors.

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The World Bank’s report ‘Choosing Our Future: Education for Climate Action’ highlights how climate change disrupts education and emphasizes its role in climate action. Climate change causes school closures, with affected schools losing an average of 11 instruction days yearly, particularly in low-income countries. Climate awareness is only about 65% in low- and middle-income countries, indicating a significant information gap. Global green transitions need skilled workers for 100 million new jobs, upskilling for existing jobs, and reskilling for 78 million disappearing jobs. In India, climate education boosts pro-climate behaviors among children and their parents by 13%.

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International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Institute for Human Development (IHD) jointly published the India Employment Report 2024. The report shows an improved employment scenario in India. Global youth unemployment decreased from 15.6% in 2021 to 13.3% in 2023. India’s youth unemployment rate (ages 15-29) was 10.2% in 2023-24, lower than the global average. The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for youth increased from 31.4% in 2017-18 to 41.7% in 2023-24, indicating more employment.

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India is the most targeted country for mobile malware attacks, with 28% of global attacks occurring there. The Zscaler ThreatLabz 2024 report analyzed mobile, IoT, and OT attacks from June 2023 to May 2024. After India, the U.S., Canada, South Africa, and the Netherlands were the next most targeted countries. India was ranked third for mobile malware attacks globally in the 2023 report. In IoT attacks, the U.S. topped the list, followed by Singapore, the U.K., Germany, and Canada. India accounted for 66.5% of mobile malware attacks in the Asia Pacific region.

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World Bank released the 2024 International Debt Report (IDR). It covers external debt for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Total external debt of LMICs rose by 2.4% in 2023, reaching $8.8 trillion. Key factors driving this rise include high interest rates due to tight monetary policies in high-income countries, inflation, depreciating currencies, and global economic uncertainty. Countries like Bangladesh and India saw over 90% increases in interest payments. The rising debt strains budgets, affecting critical sectors like health, education, and environmental programs.

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The World Solar Report 2024 by the International Solar Alliance highlights rapid growth in global solar energy. Global solar capacity grew from 22 GW in 2000 to 1,419 GW by 2023, with a 36% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) . Solar energy now contributes 75% of renewable energy capacity additions. Emerging technologies include quantum dot solar cells (18.1% efficiency), self-healing solar panels, solar-powered phyto-mining, and solar paver blocks. Solar PV costs have declined, with utility-scale projects costing as low as $40/MWh. China leads global solar capacity (43%), and investments in solar energy are expected to exceed $500 billion by 2024.

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IIT Delhi has ranked first in India in the QS Sustainability Rankings 2025, followed by IIT Kharagpur and IIT Bombay. These engineering institutions are recognized globally for their commitment to sustainability goals. The University of Toronto holds the top position for sustainability worldwide this year. The QS Sustainability Rankings highlight universities that prioritize environmental and social responsibility in their practices.

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The Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2024 was released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The report highlights rising child trafficking, forced labor, and forced criminality due to poverty, conflict, and climate crises. Trafficking victims detected globally increased by 25% in 2022 compared to 2019. Child trafficking rose by 31%, with a 38% increase in girl victims, especially in high-income countries for sexual exploitation. Women and girls made up 61% of all trafficking victims in 2022, with 60% of girls trafficked for sexual exploitation. Trafficking for forced criminality, including online scams, rose to 8% of victims in 2022. Africa accounts for the most detailed trafficking data, with children often trafficked for forced labor and begging. The report, covering 156 countries, offers global insights and policy recommendations to combat trafficking effectively.

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The Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change recently released the ‘India State of Forest Report 2023’ (ISFR 2023) at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun. The report, published biennially by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) since 1987, assesses forest and tree resources using satellite data and National Forest Inventory (NFI). India’s forest and tree cover is 8,27,357 sq km (25.17% of the country’s area), with forest cover at 7,15,343 sq km (21.76%) and tree cover at 1,12,014 sq km (3.41%). There is an increase in forest and tree cover, with states like Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Mizoram, Gujarat, and Odisha showing significant growth. Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Maharashtra have the largest forest and tree covers. Lakshadweep has the highest forest cover percentage (91.33%). 19 states/UTs have over 33% forest cover, with eight exceeding 75%. Mangrove cover is 4,992 sq km, and bamboo-bearing areas have increased. India’s carbon stock reached 30.43 billion tonnes, surpassing its 2030 carbon sink target.