India second on list of governments requesting Google data

The latest Google Transparency Report shows India is only second to the Unites states in requesting user data. While the Indian government had a total of 2,691 requests of which 64 per cent where fulfilled, the US had 10,918 requests of which 83 per cent where fulfilled.

In an official blog post, Richard Salgado, Google's Legal Director, Law Enforcement and Information Security wrote: "Since we began sharing these figures with you in 2010, requests from governments for user information have increased by more than 100 percent. This comes as usage of our services continues to grow, but also as more governments have made requests than ever before."

The post clarified as these numbers only include the requests we're allowed to publish. An image posted with the blog shows a graphic on the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act requests that has been blacked out as the "government contends that we cannot share this information".

"The US Department of Justice contends that US law does not allow us to share information about some national security requests that we might receive. Specifically, the US government argues that we cannot share information about the requests we receive (if any) under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. But you deserve to know," Salgado posted.

In the case of India, user data requests have grown from 1,061 for July to December 2009 to the 2,691 for January to June 2013. The requests pertained to 4,161 users from the country. This figure has gone up from 2,439 in January–June 2011, when Google first started providing this information.

Switzerland most secretive financial place; India ranks 32nd

Switzerland remains the world’s most secretive place on financial matters, while India ranks 32nd on a new global scale.

Switzerland, despite global efforts to crack down on the famed secrecy walls surrounding Swiss banks, was on top, followed by Luxembourg, Hong Kong, Cayman Islands, Singapore, US, Lebanon, Germany, Jersey and Japan in the top-ten of the inaugural worldwide Financial Secrecy Index.

The index was compiled by the Tax Justice Network, a global research and advocacy group focused on tax matters, and includes a total of 82 jurisdictions from across the world.

According to Tax Justice Network, the Financial Secrecy Index ranks jurisdictions based on their secrecy and the scale of their activities and serves as a tool for understanding global financial secrecy, tax havens and illicit financial flows.

In 2012, around $2.8 trillion in assets were under management in Switzerland, or about a quarter of the world’s total, according to the Swiss Bankers’ Association, it added.

On India, the report said that the country was assessed with 46 secrecy points out of a potential 100, and was ranked 32 — in the lower mid-range of the secrecy scale.

India accounts for slightly less than 2 per cent of the global market for offshore financial services, making it a small player compared with other secrecy jurisdictions.

The report further noted “India’s 46 per cent secrecy score shows that it must still make major progress in offering satisfactory financial transparency.”

An estimated $21 to 32 trillion of private financial wealth is located, untaxed or lightly taxed, in secrecy jurisdictions globally. Illicit cross-border financial flows add up to an estimated $1-1.6 trillion each year.

India ranked 7th for expat quality of life

 India is placed seventh out of 37 in a list of countries ranked in terms of expat quality of life, according to a research commissioned by HSBC Expat.

Thailand tops the list which is dominated by Asian countries with mainland China, Singapore and Taiwan are ranked 3rd, 6th, and 8th places respectively. Others in the top 10 include Bahrain (2nd), Cayman Islands (4th), Australia (5th), Spain (9th) and Brazil (10th).

"The results show Asia to be the leading destination for expat quality of life, with the region also emerging as an expat social hotspot," HSBC Expat Head Dean Blackburn said.

With a record number of them participating this year, the Expat Explorer survey provided an even more comprehensive picture of life abroad, the challenges they faced and the idiosyncrasies that make the their experience unique, Blackburn added.

The survey, commissioned by HSBC Expat and conducted by independent research company YouGov, questioned 7,004 expats through an online survey.

On India, the survey said the positive attitudes of the local people were appreciated with seven in 10 (71 per cent) commenting on their friendliness. Moreover, they also enjoy a more active social life in India compared to other countries.

The heat and cuisine makes adjusting to the culture slightly more difficult for the expatriates, says the study.

About 47 per cent of expats compared to a global average of 26 per cent said adjusting to the weather was difficult and 39 per cent compared to a global average of 20 per cent said the same about food.

Interestingly, a significantly higher percentage (25 per cent) compared to global average (7 per cent) were sent to live in India by their organisations, suggesting that MNCs are eager to expand their operations outside developed nations.

"Many are making the most of the relocation and see India as an up-and-coming destination, with nearly three quarters (73 per cent) reporting that the country is improving as a place for expats to live and work," the survey said.

Looking at the Expat Explorer Economics league table, which ranks countries based on factors like earning potential, disposable income and satisfaction with economic outlook, Switzerland, mainland China and Qatar take up top three spots.

Meanwhile, European locations were ranked as attractive destinations to bring up children abroad. Four European countries rank within the top 10 places for the Expat Explorer Raising Children Abroad league table, including Germany (1st), France (3rd), Belgium (6th) and Spain (9th)

India ranked 134 in Doing Business report

India has fallen two positions in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report for 2014, slipping from 131 to 134, and way behind most of its South Asian neighbours.

On average around the world, starting a business takes 7 procedures, 25 days and costs 32% of income per capita in fees, according to the report released on Tuesday.

In India it takes 12 procedures, 26 days and costs 43.3%.

And guess where that leaves the country that hopes to be a world power -- behind China (ranked 96), Nepal (105), Pakistan (110) and Bangladesh (130).

The worst was Suriname with 208 days to start a business.

The best five were Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand -- where it takes just one procedure, half a day and no fee to start a business, the United States and Denmark.

The ranking will bring India more grief as it has struggled to attract foreign investment in recent years because of stalled reforms, complex tax regimes and local rules.

Here is how the rest of it broke down for India:

Dealing with construction permits (rank): 182

Procedures (number): 35

Time (days): 168

Cost (% of income per capita): 2,640.4

Getting electricity (rank): 111

Procedures (number): 7

Time (days): 67

Cost (% of income per capita): 230.7

But the scenario is not all grim. “In South Asia, India is the only economy (of 8) with a complete online system for filing and paying taxes,” the report pointed out, for one.

India gets poor 101st rank on global gender gap index

Global Gender Gap Report 2013, which was published on 25 October 2013 by World Economic Forum- India was ranked 101 out of 136 countries on Gender Gap index. 

In 2012 Report, India secured 105th position in the Gender Gap Index of 135 countries.

The Global Gender Gap Report 2013 Report revealed that world’s gender gaps narrowed slightly in 2013 on the back of “definite if not universal improvements” in economic equality and political participation between the sexes.

The worst performing countries are Yemen (136), Pakisthan (135) and Chad (134).

The Report measures the size of the gender inequality gap in four areas:

1.Economic participation and opportunity – salaries, participation and highly skilled employment

2.Educational attainment – access to basic and higher levels of education

3.Political empowerment – representation in decision-making structures

4.Health and survival – life expectancy and sex ratio

Highlights of the Report
1.The Global Gender Gap Report 2013 finds 86 out of 133 countries improved their global gender gap between 2012 and 2013, with the area of political participation seeing the greatest progress.

2.Iceland has the narrowest gender gap in the world, followed by Finland, Norway and Sweden.

3.Data indicates overall slight gains in gender parity mask the emergence of twin-track paths towards economic equality in many countries and regions.

India Performance:

Global Gender Gap Index 2013- India status- out of 136 countries

India's over all Rank: 101 Place

1.Political Empowerment: 9th Place
2.Educational Attainment: 120th Place
3.Economic Participation and Opportunity: 124th Place
4.Health and Survival: 135th Place

India also still remains lowest-ranked among the five BRICS nations.

Top ten best performing Countries

Country	Rank
Iceland	1
Finland	2
Norway	3
Sweden	4
Philippines	5
Ireland	6
New Zealand	7
Denmark	8
Switzerland	9
Nicaragua	10

 About Global Gender Gap Report

1. The Global Gender Gap Report, introduced by the World Economic Forum in 2006, provides a framework for capturing the magnitude and scope of gender-based disparities around the world.
2. The index benchmarks national gender gaps on economic, political, education- and health-based criteria and provides country rankings that allow for effective comparison across regions and income groups and over time.
3. The rankings are designed to create greater awareness among a global audience of the challenges posed by gender gaps and the opportunities created by reducing them.
4. The methodology and quantitative analysis behind the rankings are intended to serve as a basis for designing effective measures for reducing gender gaps.

About World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Incorporated as a not-for-profit foundation in 1971, and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Forum is tied to no political, partisan or national interests.

India ranks 63 in the Global Hunger Index

India has moved from 65 to 63 in the Global Hunger Index prepared by the International Food Policy Research Institute, Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide. According to the Index India is making a marginal improvement since 2012, but continues to languish far behind other emerging economies. The score for the country improved slightly from 22.9 in 2012 to 21.3 this year. As has been the trend, within SAARC countries too, India continued to trail behind Pakistan and Bangladesh on the index.

The report revealed that India is one of the three countries outside Sub-saharan Africa to fall in ‘alarming level’ category. The other two are Haiti and Timor-Leste.
The 2013 Global Hunger Index (GHI) has fallen by 34 per cent from the 1990 score, but South Asia has the highest regional score of 20.7, followed by Africa (south of the Sahara) while Burundi, Eritrea and Comoros have the highest levels of hunger, says the report.
Among the countries that achieved noteworthy progress in improving their GHI scores are Bangladesh, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, with decreases in their scores ranging between 15 and 23 points.

The index identified hunger levels and hot spots across 120 developing countries and countries in transition, and ranked countries on three equally weighted indicators - the proportion of undernourished people, the proportion of underweight children under five, and the mortality rate of children under five.

Report Highlights:
The 2013 Index indicates that global hunger is decreasing; the 2013 world GHI score has fallen by 34 percent from the 1990 GHI score. Yet world hunger still remains “serious,” with 19 countries suffering from levels of hunger that are either “alarming” or “extremely alarming.”
 South Asia has the highest regional GHI score, followed by Africa south of the Sahara while Burundi, Eritrea and Comoros have the highest levels of hunger.

India Performance:
• India has moved from 65 to 63 in the Global Hunger Index, making a marginal improvement since 2012, but continues to suffering far behind other emerging economies.
 
• The score for India has improved slightly from 22.9 in 2012 to 21.3 in 2013. Within SAARC countries also, India continued to trail behind Pakistan and Bangladesh on the index.

• The level of hunger in India remained at ‘alarming levels’ and the report also noted that it is one of the three countries outside Sub-Saharan Africa to fall in this category. The other two are Haiti and Timor-Leste.

• India continued to record one of the highest prevalence of children under five who are underweight, at more than 40 per cent.

South Asia Region:

• South Asia continued to have the maximum number of hungry people in the world, followed by sub-Saharan Africa.
• Social inequality and the low nutritional, educational, and social status of women are major causes of child under-nutrition in the South Asian region.

Emerging economies Performance:
• Other emerging economies with high growth trajectories have done a much better job at pulling people out of hunger, when in comparison to India.
• China improved its ranking by 57.69 per cent between 1990-2012, while India showed a 34 per cent improvement in the same period.
• Brazil, in comparison, had a much better score to begin with and by 2012 entered the select block of nations doing the best to fight hunger.
• Countries that have achieved the highest progress on this front included Venezuela, Mexico, Cuba, Ghana, Thailand and Vietnam -all achieving more than 55 percent increase in their Global Hunger Index score.

About Global Hunger Index:
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger globally and by country and region. Calculated each year by theInternational Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the GHI highlights successes and failures in hunger reduction and provides insights into the drivers of hunger. By raising awareness and understanding of regional and country differences in hunger, the GHI aims to trigger actions to reduce hunger.

The theme of the 2013 GHI report is resilience in theory and in practice.

To reflect the multidimensional nature of hunger, the GHI combines three equally weighted indicators in one index number:

1. Undernourishment: the proportion of undernourished as a percentage of the population (reflecting the share of the population with insufficient calorie intake);

2. Child underweight: the proportion of children younger than the age of five who are underweight (low weight for age reflecting wasting, stunted growth, or both), which is one indicator of child undernutrition; and

3. Child mortality: the mortality rate of children younger than the age of five (partially reflecting the fatal synergy of inadequate dietary intake and unhealthy environments).

The GHI ranks countries on a 100-point scale. Zero is the best score (no hunger), and 100 is the worst, although neither of these extremes is reached in practice.

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI):

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty. IFPRI was established in 1975 to identify and analyze alternative national and international strategies and policies for meeting the food needs of the developing world, with particular emphasis on low-income countries and on the poorer groups in those countries. 

Welthungerhilfe:
Welthungerhilfe is one of the largest nongovernmental aid organisations in Germany. It provides fully integrated aid from one source, ranging from rapid emergency relief to reconstruction programmes, as well as long-term projects with local partner organisations following the principle of help toward self-help. Since its foundation in 1962, more than 6800 projects have been carried out in 70 countries with a total funding of 2.39 billion euros, striving for a world without hunger or poverty. 

Concern Worldwide:
Concern Worldwide is an international non-governmental humanitarian organization dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries. The mission is to help people living in extreme poverty achieve major improvements in their lives which last and spread without ongoing support from Concern. To achieve this mission Concern engages in long term development work, responds to emergency situations, and seeks to address the root causes of poverty through development education and advocacy work. Concern currently works in 27 of the world’s poorest countries.

Mumbai slips to 72nd rank on global financial centre list

Indicating worsening business conditions in India, Mumbai has slipped six places to 72nd rank, the bottom 10, on theGlobal Financial Centre Index (GFCI), while London has retained its top slot. 

Mumbai is the only Indian city to find a place on this bi-annual list of 80 financial centres globally and was ranked 66th in its previousedition published in March this year. 

In the top-five, London is followed by New York, Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo. 

India ranks 69th in new corruption index, seen as risky place to do business

A new global corruption risk index has ranked India as the 69th most graft-prone nation out of 197 countries, calling it an extremely risky place to do business, second only to Russia among the growth economies' clique known as BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China).

India ranks 78th on human capital index; Switzerland on top

 India has been placed at a low 78th slot on a global Human Capital Index, which ranks countries on the basis of economic potential of their labour force, while Switzerland has topped the ranking. 

According to the list of total 122 countries released here today by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF), India has been ranked lower than three of its BRICS peers -- China (43rd), Russia (51st) and Brazil (57th), while South Africa is placed at 86th place. 
Among the top-ten, Switzerland is followed by Finland, Singapore, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Norway, UK, Denmark and Canada, while the US is ranked 16th. 

Yemen has been placed last at 122nd position, while Pakistan is ranked 112th. 

Tata Group Ranked 4th Among Asia’s 10 Best Companies

Survey of Global Consultancy firm Hay Group stated that Tata Group ranked 4th among Asia’s 10 best companies. It is the only Indian companies which have managed to find the place in the list of 10 best companies for leadership in Asia. First place attained by Samsung Group. Second and third place attained by Toyota Motors and Unilever respectively. Others in top 10 lists are Petronas, General Electric, IBM, Sony, Coca Cola and DHL International.

India is the Second Largest Producer of Fruits, Vegetables and Foodgrains

Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) data shows that India produces 76424.2 thousand tonne of fruits; 156325.5 thousand tonne of vegetables and 388269.2 thousand tonne of foodgrains during 2011.  The other major producer countries during 2011 are:-

Production (000 Tonnes)

Fruits		Vegetables		Food grains
Country	Production	Country	Production	Country	Production
China	134950.8	China	561744.8	China	525422.8
India	76424.2	India	156325.5	United States of America	388269.7
Brazil	40949.3	United States of America	34670.4	India	259323.1
United States of America	27139.7	Turkey	27406.0	Indonesia	83712.3
Italy	17352.7	Iran	25961.1	Brazil	81042.4
Indonesia	17196.1	Egypt	18945.5	France	66626.9
Note Official Estimates released by Department of Agriculture & Cooperation.

India slips to 60th rank on competitiveness;Switzerland on top

India has slipped to 60th position in terms of its competitiveness globally, while Switzerland has retained its top rank.

This is India's lowest ever rank and also 31 places below its peer emerging market China.

Releasing the annual Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014, Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) today said highly innovative countries with strong institutions continue to top the rankings.

While Switzerland is on top for fifth year in a row, United States has reversed its four-year downward trend to occupy 5th position and Japan has risen to ninth place.

Singapore and Finland remain in second and third positions respectively, while Germany moves up two places (4th).

Two other Asian economies, Hong Kong SAR (7th) and Japan (9th), also feature in the top ten of the rankings of 148 economies.

On India, the report said the country continues to be "penalised" for its very disappointing performance in the basic drivers underpinning competitiveness, the very ones that matter the most.

"The country's supply of transport, Information and Communications Technology (ICTs), and energy infrastructure remains largely insufficient and ill-adapted to the needs of the economy," it said.

The WEF report further noted that "notwithstanding improvements across the board over the past few years, very poor public health and education levels remain a prime cause of India's low productivity".

Meanwhile, among Asia's developing nations, Malaysia is the most competitive (24th). At 29th, China remains by far the best of the four largest emerging market economies, ahead of South Africa (53rd), Brazil (56th), India (60th) and Russia (64th).

The gap between China and India has widened from just eight places in 2006 to 31 today. Indonesia jumps 12 places to 38th, making it the most improved G20 economy since 2006.

Asia is also home to some of the world's least competitive economies, including Bangladesh (110th), Nepal (117th) and Pakistan (133rd), which drops for the third year in a row.

Bhutan (109th), Lao PDR (81st) and Myanmar (139th) join the index for the first time.

Among European economies, Sweden (6th), the Netherlands (8th) and the United Kingdom (10th) have fallen.

"Innovation becomes even more critical in terms of an economy's ability to foster future prosperity," World Economic Forum Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab said.

Schwab further noted "the traditional distinction between countries being 'developed' or 'less developed' will gradually disappear and we will instead refer to them much more in terms of being 'innovation rich' vs 'innovation poor' countries."  

It is therefore vital that leaders from business, government and civil society work together to create education systems and enable environments which foster innovation, it added.