Reports and Indices Current Affairs MCQs

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NITI Aayog recently released a report titled “Enhancing Circular Economy of End-of-Life Vehicles in India”, warning of a looming crisis with end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). ELVs in India are expected to rise to 50 million by 2030, from 23 million by 2025, posing safety risks and being a major source of pollution. Older vehicles emit up to 8 times more pollutants than BS-VI standard vehicles. The Vehicle Scrappage Policy (2021) aims to phase out old vehicles through Automated Testing Stations (ATS) and Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSF), offering incentives like scrap value, fee waivers, and tax rebates (up to 25% for non-transport, 15% for transport vehicles).

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India’s innovation ecosystem has steadily improved, climbing to 38th position in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025 from 66th in 2019, as per Economic Survey 2025-26. Government initiatives in manufacturing, research, startups, and technology have helped India emerge as a global hub for innovation and industrial development. The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme boosted domestic manufacturing, especially in smartphones, attracting global companies to India. Till September 2025, PLI investments exceeded Rs 2 lakh crore, generating additional production/sales of Rs 18.70 lakh crore and employment for 12.60 lakh people.

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India improved its rank by four places to 45th in the Network Readiness Index (NRI) 2025, released on 4 February 2026. The index assesses 127 economies across four pillars: Technology, People, Governance, and Impact, using 53 indicators. The report is prepared by the Portulans Institute, a non-profit research body based in Washington DC. India’s score increased from 53.63 in 2024 to 54.43 in 2025 out of 100. India ranked 1st in telecom investment, Artificial Intelligence (AI) publications, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) exports, and e-commerce laws. It ranked 2nd in Fibre to the Home (FTTH) subscriptions and internet traffic, showing strong digital growth.

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India ranked second globally outside the United States in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)–certified building space in 2025. The ranking was released by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). China ranked first outside the US with 26 million gross square meters (GSM), followed by India with 16 million GSM. The United States remains the global leader with over 50 million GSM of LEED-certified space. India showed strong growth in LEED Operations and Maintenance (O+M), highlighting focus on existing building performance.

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“Healing Soils in India: For Better Crop Health and Human Nutrition” report released by Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER). It highlights soil degradation as major threat to agriculture and nutrition security in India. Main cause is distorted fertilizer subsidy where urea (Nitrogen) gets over 80% subsidy, causing imbalance of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. Faulty practices like monocropping, intensive tillage, rice water stagnation and stubble burning reduce soil carbon.

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The World Bank released the Women, Business and the Law 2026 report highlighting a major gap between laws for women’s equality and their real implementation. The Women, Business and the Law 2026 report is the 11th annual study covering 190 economies and uses the Women, Business and the Law 2.0 framework. It evaluates three pillars: Legal Frameworks, Supportive Frameworks, and Enforcement Perceptions. The global average score is 67.9 for legal frameworks, but only 47.3 for supportive systems and 53.4 for enforcement. Safety is the weakest area, with enforcement failing nearly 80 percent of the time and only one-third required safety laws in place.

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Sapien Labs, a not-for-profit organization, released the Global Mind Health 2025 report under its Global Mind Project. The report is based on Mind Health Quotient (MHQ), covering mental, emotional, cognitive, social functions, drive, and resilience. In India, young adults (18–34) have an MHQ score of 33 (global average 66), ranking 60th globally in mental health and well-being. Indians aged 55 plus score 96, ranking 49th globally. 44% of 18–34-year-olds consume ultra-processed foods, linked to increased depression and reduced emotional and cognitive control.

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The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO released the Integrated Ocean Carbon Research (IOC-R) 2026 report. The objective of IOC is to promote international cooperation and coordinate programmes in research, services, and capacity-building to enhance understanding of oceans. The commission has 152 member countries, including India, and its secretariat is based in Paris, France. The report highlights that oceans act as a carbon sink, absorbing excess atmospheric CO₂ and helping reduce greenhouse gas concentrations. It explains the solubility pump, where cold ocean waters dissolve CO₂ and transport it to deep ocean layers for long-term storage.

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According to the World Obesity Atlas 2026, nearly 15 million children aged 5–9 and over 26 million children aged 10–19 in India were overweight or obese in 2025. The World Obesity Federation warned that the 2025 global target to halve childhood obesity rise will be missed; the deadline is now extended to 2030, but most countries, including India, remain off track. India ranks second to China, with 41 million children with high BMI and 14 million living with obesity. China leads with 62 million high BMI and 33 million obesity, while the USA has 27 million high BMI and 13 million obesity.

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SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) reported on March 9, 2026, that global arms transfers increased to the highest level since 2011–2015. Ukraine was the largest arms importer, receiving 9.7% of global transfers, followed by India at 8.2%, highlighting India’s continued dependence on foreign arms. Saudi Arabia (6.8%), Qatar (6.4%), and Pakistan (4.2%) completed the top five importers list. India’s arms imports decreased by 4% compared to 2016–2020, with delays in domestic production persisting, though India is increasingly producing its own equipment. India shifted towards Western suppliers: Russia’s share dropped to 40%, France supplied 29%, and Israel 15%; India was France’s largest global client.