Indexes and Reports MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Indexes and Reports - Download Free PDF

The Correct Answer is 45 percentage points.

In News

• India’s social security coverage jumps to 64.3%, ranks 2nd globally: ILO.

Key Points

• India’s social security coverage rose from 19% in 2015 to 64.3% in 2025.

• This is a 45 percentage point increase in a decade, the fastest expansion globally.

• Over 94 crore people in India are now covered under at least one social protection benefit.

• India now ranks second in the world by number of social protection beneficiaries.

• ILO (International Labour Organisation) acknowledged this success on its official dashboard.

The correct answer is 33,112 square kilometers.

In News

• India’s forest and tree cover has increased from 7,94,245 square kilometers in ISFR 2015 to 8,27,357 square kilometers in ISFR 2023.

Key Points

• The total forest and tree cover in India was 7,94,245 square kilometers in ISFR 2015.
• In ISFR 2023, the forest and tree cover increased to 8,27,357 square kilometers.
• The difference in forest and tree cover between ISFR 2015 and ISFR 2023 is 8,27,357 - 7,94,245 = 33,112 square kilometers.
• The increase in coverage reflects India's commitment to afforestation and forest conservation initiatives.

Additional Information

• India State of Forest Report (ISFR)
  • Published biennially by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) since 1987.
  • Assesses the total forest and tree cover in the country.
• Government Programs Supporting Afforestation
  • National Mission for a Green India (GIM) - Received Rs. 624.69 crore for afforestation efforts.
  • Development of Wildlife Habitats (DWH) - Allocated Rs. 452.04 crore.
  • Nagar Van Yojana (NVY) - Received Rs. 308.87 crore to promote urban green spaces.
  • Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) - Disbursed Rs. 38,502.21 crore for forest restoration and habitat improvement.
• Key Conservation Efforts
  • State forest departments enforce afforestation and conservation laws.
  • Measures include surveying, demarcation, boundary pillars, and patrolling to prevent encroachment.

The correct answer is World Intellectual Property Organization, Cornell University and INSEAD.

Key Points

• The Global Innovation Index (GII) is a source of insight into the multidimensional facets of innovation-driven growth and provide the tools that can assist in tailoring policies to promote long-term output growth, improved productivity, and job growth. 
• The GII global ranking is published by World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) .
• It is a collaborative effort, with the GII also being developed by Cornell University and INSEAD. 
• India’s Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is one of the knowledge partners which assists GII team in bringing out the annual ranking.
• GII is published annually since 2007.
• Switzerland is the world's most-innovative country followed by Sweden, the United States of America (U.S.), the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (U.K.), according to the 2019 edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII).

The correct answer is India lifted 171 million people out of extreme poverty.

In News

• The World Bank’s report highlighted that India has lifted 171 million people out of extreme poverty, making substantial progress in reducing poverty levels.

Key Points

• Extreme poverty in India decreased sharply from 16.2% in 2011-12 to 2.3% in 2022-23.
• The reduction in rural extreme poverty was particularly significant, falling from 18.4% to 2.8% over the same period.
• Urban poverty also saw a substantial decrease, dropping from 10.7% to 1.1% in the same period.
• India’s multidimensional poverty also declined from 53.8% in 2005-06 to 16.4% by 2019-21.

Additional Information

• The report shows that significant improvements were made in both rural and urban areas, with rural poverty declining from 69% to 32.5% and urban poverty dropping from 43.5% to 17.2%.
• India’s lower-middle-income poverty fell from 61.8% in 2011-12 to 28.1% in 2022-23, indicating progress in poverty reduction.
• Key states contributing to poverty reduction include Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh.
• Urban unemployment has fallen to its lowest level since 2017-18, contributing to improved poverty metrics.

The correct answer is Food Subsidies (PDS).

In News

• The DBT system in India helped achieve cumulative savings of Rs. 3.48 lakh crore by plugging leakages in welfare delivery.

Key Points

• Food Subsidies (PDS) saved Rs. 1.85 lakh crore, accounting for 53% of total DBT savings, mainly due to Aadhaar-linked ration card authentication.
• MGNREGS saw 98% timely wage transfers, saving Rs. 42,534 crore.
• PM-KISAN saved Rs. 22,106 crore by identifying and removing 2.1 crore ineligible beneficiaries.
• The DBT system has demonstrated significant reductions in subsidy waste and inefficiency.

Additional Information

• The DBT system aims to improve welfare delivery and financial inclusion by transferring subsidies directly to beneficiaries.
• Fertiliser subsidies were targeted to reduce sales and save Rs. 18,699 crore.
• The correlation between beneficiary coverage and DBT savings is 0.71, indicating that more beneficiaries lead to more savings.
• India's DBT system has been a major contributor to improving the efficiency of public welfare programs.

The correct answer is New Zealand.

Key Points

• The Human Freedom Index 2020, a worldwide ranking of civil, economic, and personal freedom, placed India at the 111th spot out of 162 countries.
• Human Freedom Index was published by American think tank Cato Institute and Fraser Institute in Canada.
• India ranked 94 on the index in the year 2019.
• India ranked 111th is ahead of China and Bangladesh, which ranked 129 and 139 on the 2020 index respectively.
• New Zealand, Switzerland, and Hong Kong bagged the first three spots.
• New Zealand:
  • Capital - Wellington.
  • Currency - New Zealand dollar.
  • Prime Minister - Jacinda Ardern.
  • National Sport - Rugby.

The correct answer is Jammu and Kashmir.

Key Points

• Home Minister Amit Shah released the first ‘District Good Governance Index’ for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on 22 January 2022.
• The Jammu district has emerged on top, while the Srinagar district has come at the fifth position.
• The index has been prepared by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances in collaboration with the government of Jammu and Kashmir.

Important Points

• The erstwhile state of J&K was split into two Union Territories in 2019 and the Centre took direct charge.
• The 20 districts in the UT of J&K were assessed now in 10 sectors.
• Jammu district was followed by the Doda and Samba districts of the Jammu Division.
• This was followed by the Pulwama district of the Srinagar Division at the fourth spot.
• The district of Rajouri finished at the last spot, while Poonch and Shopian districts also featured towards the end of the rankings.
• The 20 districts were also separately ranked under the various sectors.
• Jammu district ranked best on ‘Commerce and Industry sector, while Srinagar district ranked best on the ‘Public Infrastructure and Utilities’ sector.

Additional Information

• Jammu and Kashmir:
  • Number of Districts - 20.
  • Dams - Baglihar Dam (Chenab River), Dulhasti Dam (Chenab River), Uri-II Dam (Jhelum River).
  • National Parks - Dachigam National Park, Salim Ali National Park, Kazinag National Park, Kishtwar High Altitude National Park.

The correct answer is UNDP.

• The Human Development Index (HDI) is an index that is published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• It measures key dimensions of human development. The three key dimensions are - 
  • A long and healthy life
  • Access to education
  • A decent standard of living  

About UNDP

• Headquarters - New York, United States
• Administrator - Achim Steiner
• Member Countries - 170 (Oct-2020)

The Correct Answer is ​Byrnihat.

In News

• Meghalaya's Byrnihat India's most polluted city In 2023.

Key Points

• Byrnihat in Meghalaya topped the list of the most polluted cities in India in 2023, closely followed by Begusarai in Bihar and Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
• Delhi, known for its persistently high air pollution levels during winter, ranked as the eighth most polluted city, the report by independent think tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
• 227 cities with air quality data available for over 75 percent of the days in 2023 were studied.

The correct answer is 40.

Key Points

• India secured the 40th position in the Global Innovation Index.
• This is the first time the country entered the top 40. 
• The 2022 edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII) tracks the most recent global innovation trends against the background of an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
• Slow productivity growth and other evolving challenges.
• It reveals the most innovative economies in the world, ranking the innovation performance of around 132 economies while highlighting innovation strengths and weaknesses.

Additional Information

• Switzerland is the most innovative economy in the world in 2022 - for the 12th year in a row - followed by the United States, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
• The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on Thursday released the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2022.

Important Points

• Global Innovation Index 2023
• Top 10 Countries in GII:

• Last 10 Countries in GII:

The correct answer is Norway.

Key Points

• The 2021 edition of the EIU’s Democracy Index was released on 10 February 2022.
• Since the year 2006, the Economist Intelligence has been bringing forth the state of democracy worldwide in around 165 independent nations and two territories through its democracy index.
• It was topped by Norway.
• India was ranked 46th out of 165 nations.

In News

• India at 108th Position in Electoral Democracy Index 2023: India has now been ranked at the 108th spot globally for electoral democracy, by V-Dem Institute in its Electoral Democracy Report for 2023.

Important Points

•  The annual index, which provides a measurement of the state of global democracy, reveals an overall score of 5.28, down from 5.37 in 2020.
• According to EIU’s measure of democracy, less than half (45.7%) of the world’s population now live in a democracy of some sort, which is a significant decline from 2020 (49.4%).
• Even fewer (6.4%) reside in a “full democracy”; this level is slightly down from 8.4% in 2020, after two countries (Chile and Spain) were downgraded to “flawed democracies”.
• Substantially more than a third of the world’s population (37.1%) live under authoritarian rule, a large share of which are in China. 

The correct answer is rich countries.

• According to the World Development Report, countries having per capita income of more than US$12,000 per annum as on 2016 are called rich countries.

Key Points

• World Bank published the 2020 Atlas of the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Sustainable Development Goals seek to guide global action to address many of the world’s greatest challenges such as eradicating poverty, eliminating hunger, expanding access to education, achieving gender equality, and addressing the climate crisis.​

Important Points

The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to transform our world:

• GOAL 1: No Poverty
• GOAL 2: Zero Hunger
• GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being
• GOAL 4: Quality Education
• GOAL 5: Gender Equality
  GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
• GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
• GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
• GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality
• GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
• GOAL 13: Climate Action
• GOAL 14: Life Below Water
• GOAL 15: Life on Land
• GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
• GOAL 17: Partnerships to Achieve the Goal​

The correct answer is Andhra Pradesh.

Key Points

• Andhra Pradesh secured the first rank among police forces of the country in a survey conducted by the Indian Police Foundation (IPF).
• The survey, conducted in 28 states and Union Territories of the country assessed the force on competence, values, and public trust.
• Telangana ranked second while Assam was third.
• Kerala, Gujarat, and Delhi were ranked fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively.

Important Points

• From bottom upwards are Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Punjab.
• The IPF Smart Policing Index 2021 surveyed 10 sets of questionnaires, which included six indices of “Competence-Based Indicators” dealing with issues such as police sensitivity, accessibility, responsiveness and technology adoption among others.
• It had three indices of “Value-Based indicators” dealing with integrity of the police; and one index of “Trust”.
• In Fair and Unbiased Policing category, the best performing states are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, Kerala and Gujarat. From the bottom are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Nagaland and Jharkhand.
• In Helpful and Friendly Policing, the best performing states are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, Sikkim and Kerala. The worst are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Nagaland.
• In Police Accountability, the top states are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, Kerala and Odisha, while Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Chhattisgarh are at the bottom.

The correct answer is 87th.

Confusion Points

• India's current position in the Hensley passport Index 2022 is 87th.
• India was ranked  83rd initially in the report when it was launched on 11 Jan 2022 but later dropped to 84th rank.
• Then Armenia decided to drop India from their free visa entry scheme.
• So, now India's ranking was dropped by two places and it stands at 87th rank.
• The ranking was updated by Henley Global on 12 Jan 2022.

Key Points

• India’s passport was ranked at 83rd position in the Henley Passport Index earlier, climbing six places from 90th rank in 2021.
• However, in 2020, its rank stood at 84 while in 2016, India was ranked 85th along with Mali and Uzbekistan.
• Japan and Singapore top the index in 2022 ranking.
• Germany and South Korea hold onto the joint 2nd spot in 2022.
• Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Spain share 3rd place.
• Afghanistan is ranked at the bottom (112th position).

Important Points

• Indian passport holders now have visa-free access to 60 nations.
• Passport holders from Japan and Singapore can travel visa-free to 192 countries.
• The index ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa and is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
• Link: https://www.henleyglobal.com/passport-index/ranking

Additional Information

• International Air Transport Association:
  • Headquarters: Montreal, Canada
  • Founded on: 19 April 1945
  • Chairman: William M. Walsh
• Henley & Partners:
  • Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
  • Founded in: 1997

The correct answer is 150th.

Key Points

• India's ranking in the World Press Freedom Index 2022 has fallen down to 150th position from 142nd rank in 2021, out of 180 countries.
• 2023: India is ranked at 161 out of 180 countries.
• Norway (1st), Denmark (2nd), Sweden (3rd) Estonia (4th) and Finland (5th) grabbed the top positions.
• North Korea remained at the bottom of the list.
• Pakistan was at 157th position, Sri Lanka at 146th, Bangladesh at 162nd, and Maynmar at 176th position.

Important Points

•  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released the World Press Freedom Index 2022, which assesses the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories.
• The Index highlights the disastrous effects of news and information chaos – the effects of a globalized and unregulated online information space that encourages fake news and propaganda.
• According to the RSF 2022 World Press Freedom Index, Nepal has climbed up by 30 points in the global ranking at 76th position.
• Last year, the Himalayan nation had been placed at 106th position, Pakistan at 145th, Sri Lanka 127th, Bangladesh 152nd and Myanmar at 140th position in the index.
• Russia was placed at 155th position, down from 150th last year, while China climbed up by two positions with the Reporters Without Borders placing it at 175th position.
• Last year, China was placed at 177th position.