Reports and Indices Current Affairs MCQs

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The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the SDG National Indicator Framework (NIF) Progress Report 2026 and related publications on the 20th Statistics Day. The National Indicator Framework (NIF) 2026 contains 277 indicators to monitor India’s progress on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Social protection coverage increased from 22% (2016) to 65.3% (2026). Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) declined from 122 to 87 per 1 lakh live births. Sex Ratio at Birth improved from 896 to 918 females per 1,000 males, while the female-to-male ratio among professionals rose to 51.3%. Unemployment rate declined from 6.1% (2017–18) to 3.1% (2025).

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The World Bank Group (specifically through its Global Flaring and Methane Reduction Partnership) released the “2026 Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report”. These countries include Russia, Iran, Iraq, Venezuela, Mexico, Libya, Algeria, Nigeria, and the United States. Global gas flaring increased for the third consecutive year, reaching 167 billion cubic metres in 2025. Gas flaring produces large emissions, contributing about 429 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, including methane emissions. The process involves burning associated natural gas during oil extraction instead of using it productively.

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Recently, India ranked 125th in the Global Passport Index (GPI) 2026, slipping one place from 124th in 2025. The index is published by Global Citizen Solutions (GCS). It ranks passports based on Enhanced Mobility (50%), Investment (25%), and Quality of Living (25%). India was ranked 125th among 197 countries. The Indian passport provides visa-free access to 26 countries. However, Indian citizens still require visas for many countries, including the US, UK, Germany, France, China, and UAE.

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Recently, the Ministry of Education released the Performance Grading Index for States/UTs (PGI-S) 2.0 and the Performance Grading Index for Districts (PGI-D) for 2025–26. Performance Grading Index for States/UTs (PGI-S) evaluates the performance of States and Union Territories in school education. Performance Grading Index for Districts (PGI-D) assesses the performance of districts on common educational parameters. PGI-S has a total weightage of 1000 points across 70 indicators, while PGI-D has 600 points across 70 indicators. The framework uses data from UDISE+, PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, PRABANDH, PM POSHAN, and Vidyanjali portals.

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According to the AISHE (All India Survey on Higher Education) 2023–24 report, Tamil Nadu retained the highest Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education among all states. Tamil Nadu recorded a GER of 52.3%, crossing the 50% mark for the first time, with an increase of 3.2 percentage points over the previous year. Around 35.8 lakh out of 68.4 lakh youth (18–23 years) in the state were enrolled in higher education. The female GER (53.1%) was slightly higher than the male GER (51.6%). The state had 2,983 colleges in 2023–24, an increase of 70 colleges over the previous year. Undergraduate enrolment increased by 1 lakh, reaching 25.4 lakh students.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) jointly released the Global Status Report on Cancer 2026, along with the first-ever global survey of people affected by cancer. Cancer is the second-leading cause of death globally, after cardiovascular disease, causing over 26,000 deaths daily, with 20.6 million new cases and around 10 million deaths recorded in 2024. Asia accounted for 50.7% of global cancer cases and 56.5% of cancer deaths in 2024. In India, cancer cases increased by 36% and cancer-related deaths by 30% between 2012 and 2022. Among Indian women, breast and cervical cancers are the most common, while lung and oral cavity cancers are the leading cancers among Indian men.

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The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released the second edition of the Digital Threat Report 2025–26 for the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) and payments ecosystem. The report highlights that cyber risks now threaten transaction integrity, customer trust, operational continuity, and digital infrastructure, beyond traditional data theft. It identifies AI asymmetry as a major emerging risk, enabling low-resource attackers to launch sophisticated cyberattacks rapidly.

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NITI Aayog released the Investment Friendliness Index (IFI) to assess how effectively States and Union Territories create an enabling environment for investments. The index aims to promote competitive and cooperative federalism by benchmarking investment-related reforms. It evaluates 28 States and 8 Union Territories across 8 pillars using 84 indicators and investor perception surveys. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Odisha emerged as the top overall performers.

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National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) publishes annual cyber crime statistics in its “Crime in India” report; the latest edition is for 2024. Cyber crime cases in India increased from 50,035 (2020) to 1,01,928 (2024), showing a sharp upward trend. Telangana (27,230 cases) recorded the highest number of cyber crime cases in 2024, followed by Karnataka (21,993) and Uttar Pradesh (11,073). Among Union Territories, Delhi (404 cases) recorded the highest number of cyber crime cases in 2024. Under the Information Technology Act, Computer Related Offences (36,920 cases) were the most common cyber crimes in 2024.

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Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, shared key findings of NFHS-6 (2023–24). Institutional deliveries increased to 90.6%, while antenatal care and skilled birth attendance also improved. Total Fertility Rate (TFR) remained 2.0. Full immunisation improved to 87.1%, with higher coverage of measles second dose and rotavirus vaccine. Under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), 94.87 crore ABHA IDs had been created as of 20 July 2026.