Reports and Indices Current Affairs MCQs

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In the latest Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2026, released by Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network at UN COP30, India slipped 13 places to 23rd position with a score of 61.31. India fell from a high to a medium performer due to no coal-exit deadline and continued coal block auctions. CCPI notes medium performance in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, Climate Policy and Energy Use, and low in Renewable Energy. India shows strong intent with 50% non-fossil capacity achieved early, rising renewable auctions and work on green finance taxonomy and a national carbon market.

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United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released the report Right to Education: Past, Present and Future reviewing progress since the 1960 Convention against Discrimination in Education. The report highlights major gains, including free basic education in 82% of countries and primary school completion rising to 88%. Higher education enrolment grew from 100 million in 2000 to 264 million today. Despite progress, 272 million children still drop out early and 762 million adults remain illiterate, mostly women. UNESCO warns that climate shocks, conflicts and artificial intelligence demand urgent updates to global education laws. It stresses lifelong learning as essential for workers and older adults.

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A report titled “India’s Employment Prospects: Pathways to Jobs” was released on 11 December 2025 by Manish Sabharwal, Vice Chairman of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER). The report highlights that skilling and small enterprises are the most critical drivers of job creation in India, while stressing the need to overcome structural bottlenecks affecting workforce participation, job quality, and labour productivity. The recent increase in employment has been driven largely by self-employment, rather than expansion of wage employment, and that the transition towards a skilled workforce has been relatively slow.

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The 2025 Asia Power Index, published by the Lowy Institute, assesses Asian countries’ resources and influence, including nations as far north as Russia and as far into the Pacific as Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The United States remains the leading power in Asia, with influence extending beyond any single administration. China is the second-most powerful, narrowing its gap with the US to the lowest since 2020, partly due to policies during the Donald Trump administration. India ranks third, surpassing Japan last year, with a comprehensive power score over 40 points, making it a “major power.” India’s economic, military, cultural, and geopolitical capabilities have grown modestly, though diplomatic and defence influence has not expanded equally.

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Switzerland is ranked the world’s most resilient country for investors in 2025, according to Henley & Partners and AlphaGeo Global Investment Risk and Resilience Index. Switzerland scored 88.42 overall, with a risk score of 9.1 (low risk) and resilience score of 85.94 (high resilience), driven by innovation, governance, and social stability. Singapore is the only Asian country in the top 10, ranking 4th, with the lowest legal and regulatory risk globally. India ranks 104th with a total investment risk and resilience score of 54.42, showing moderate resilience (resilience score 49.76) but elevated risks. India’s high risk profile is due to uncertain political, legal, and regulatory environments, combined with exposure to physical climate hazards.

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Indian athletes topped the global doping charts for the third consecutive year in 2024, recording 260 adverse analytical findings (AAFs), according to the latest World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report. India’s positivity rate was 3.6%, the highest among countries conducting 5,000+ tests. The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) conducted 7,113 tests in 2024 (6,576 urine samples and 537 blood samples). Out of these, 253 urine samples and 7 blood samples tested positive for prohibited substances. NADA attributed India’s high ranking partly to intensified testing and stronger detection mechanisms, not necessarily a surge in doping prevalence.

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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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NITI Aayog released the report “A Comprehensive Framework to Promote Affordable Housing” to guide policies on affordable housing across India. The report defines affordable housing as a dwelling with a carpet area and value of up to 60 sq. m. and ₹60 lakh in metropolitan cities, and up to 90 sq. m. and ₹45 lakh in non-metropolitan areas. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban (PMAY-U) 2.0, 2024 adopts the same carpet area limits, with the value of units not exceeding ₹45 lakh. It proposes transit-oriented development, where areas near metro and mass transit stations are reserved for mixed-use projects combining offices, commercial spaces, and affordable housing.