Ranking India poor 136th in Global Peace Index, report blames Modi for "deteriorating" political instability

A Sydney-based non-profit institute has ranked India 136th in its Global Peace Index (GPI) of 163 countries across the globe, a “slight” (one point) improvement over the year. The report, “Global Peace Index 2018: Measuring Peace in a Complex World”, released by the Institute for Economics & Peace, has found, however, that except for Pakistan, all other neighbours ranked much better than India.

Thus, while Pakistan ranks 151st, one of the worst in the world, Bangladesh ranks 93rd, Sri Lanka 67th, Myanmar 122nd, Nepal 84th and Bhutan, one of the best, 19th. Commenting on the “a slightly improved overall score” of India, the report claims: “Government efforts to tackle violent crime have paid off with an improved score, and falling levels of military expenditure, particularly on weapons imports, resulted in a slight improvement in its militarisation score.”
At the same time, the report does not fail to notice, though without providing any evidence, “However, the concentration of power in the office of Prime Minister Narendra Modi led to deterioration in India’s score for political instability”.
Interestingly, among the comparable BRICS countries, India’s 136th GPI ranking is worse than China’s (112th), Brazil’s (106th), and South Africa’s (125th), but much better than that of Russia (154th).
The report’s data show that India’s “economic cost of violence”, as a result of different types of conflicts, came to 9% of the GDP, as against Pakistan’s 13%, Bangladesh’s 4%, Nepal’s 6%, Sri Lanka’s 8%, Myanmar’s 10% and Bhutan’s 8%.
The report states that South Asia as a whole may have slightly improved its position in GPI, but “inequality of peace in the region continued to widen over the year, with the least peaceful nations – Afghanistan and Pakistan – continuing their decline, while the most peaceful – Bhutan and Sri Lanka – continued to improve.”

“The regional scores on the domains of Safety and Security and Militarisation improved, but Ongoing Conflict, particularly internal and external conflicts fought and neighbouring countries relations, deteriorated”, it added.
“However”, said the report, “Given the wide disparity between the peace performance of the nations of South Asia, the aggregate data tell an incomplete picture. Bhutan, famous for trying to maximise Gross National Happiness rather than Gross Domestic Product, was once again the most peaceful nation in the region and was the most significant regional riser last year.”
“Strengthening scores on the Political Terror Scale, refugees and IDPs and terrorism impact were only partially offset by a deterioration in external conflicts fought after a border dispute with China flared in the Doklam Pass”, the report said, adding, “The three-month standoff also involved India, which sent troops to the area.”
The report further said, “Sri Lanka was again the second most peaceful nation in South Asia, and the second largest riser in the region last year. Although the scores for terrorism impact, the incarceration rate and military expenditure improved, there are some worrying signs for the future. The scores for both refugees and IDPs and political instability deteriorated, a reflection of waning confidence that President Maithripala Sirisena can deliver the reforms his government promised.”
Though ranking quite high compared to India, the report, simultaneously, pointed out, “Bangladesh had the largest deterioration in the region. Improvements in political stability and terrorism impact failed to offset a rapid fall in external conflicts fought, and neighbouring countries relations, which were adversely affected by the influx of 700,000 Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar.”
The report measures GPI using three domains of peacefulness: Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict; Societal Safety and Security, and Militarisation, reflecting the link between a country’s level of military build-up and access to weapons and its level of peacefulness, both domestically and internationally.

Comments

When Pakistanis whispered: ‘end military rule’ — A Moscow memoir

During the recent anti-terror operation inside Pakistan by the Government of India, called Operation Sindoor — a name some feminists consider patently patriarchal, even though it’s officially described as a tribute to the wives of the 26 husbands killed in the terrorist strike — I was reminded of my Moscow stint, which lasted for seven long years, from 1986 to 1993.

Ahmedabad's civic chaos: Drainage woes, waterlogging, and the illusion of Olympic dreams

In response to my blog on overflowing gutter lines at several spots in Ahmedabad's Vejalpur, a heavily populated area, a close acquaintance informed me that it's not just the middle-class housing societies that are affected by the nuisance. Preeti Das, who lives in a posh locality in what is fashionably called the SoBo area, tells me, "Things are worse in our society, Applewood."

Tracking a lost link: Soviet-era legacy of Gujarati translator Atul Sawani

The other day, I received a message from a well-known activist, Raju Dipti, who runs an NGO called Jeevan Teerth in Koba village, near Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar. He was seeking the contact information of Atul Sawani, a translator of Russian books—mainly political and economic—into Gujarati for Progress Publishers during the Soviet era. He wanted to collect and hand over scanned soft copies, or if possible, hard copies, of Soviet books translated into Gujarati to Arvind Gupta, who currently lives in Pune and is undertaking the herculean task of collecting and making public soft copies of Soviet books that are no longer available in the market, both in English and Indian languages.

RP Gupta a scapegoat to help Govt of India manage fallout of Adani case in US court?

RP Gupta, a retired 1987-batch IAS officer from the Gujarat cadre, has found himself at the center of a growing controversy. During my tenure as the Times of India correspondent in Gandhinagar (1997–2012), I often interacted with him. He struck me as a straightforward officer, though I never quite understood why he was never appointed to what are supposed to be top-tier departments like industries, energy and petrochemicals, finance, or revenue.

Environmental report raises alarm: Sabarmati one of four rivers with nonylphenol contamination

A new report by Toxics Link , an Indian environmental research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi, in collaboration with the Environmental Defense Fund , a global non-profit headquartered in New York, has raised the alarm that Sabarmati is one of five rivers across India found to contain unacceptable levels of nonylphenol (NP), a chemical linked to "exposure to carcinogenic outcomes, including prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women."

PharmEasy: The only online medical store which revises prices upwards after confirming the order

For senior citizens — especially those without a family support system — ordering medicines online can be a great relief. Shruti and I have been doing this for the last couple of years, and with considerable success. We upload a prescription, receive a verification call from a doctor, and within two or three days, the medicines are delivered to our doorstep.

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Revisiting Gijubhai: Pioneer of child-centric education and the caste debate

It was Krishna Kumar, the well-known educationist, who I believe first introduced me to the name — Gijubhai Badheka (1885–1939). Hailing from Bhavnagar, known as the cultural capital of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, Gijubhai, Kumar told me during my student days, made significant contributions to the field of pedagogy — something that hasn't received much attention from India's education mandarins. At that time, Kumar was my tutorial teacher at Kirorimal College, Delhi University.

A sector under siege? War and real estate: Navigating uncertainty in India's expanding market

I was a little surprised when I received an email alert from a top real estate consultant, Anarock Group , titled "Exploring War’s Effects on Indian Real Estate—When Conflict Meets Concrete," authored by its regional director and head of research, Dr. Prashant Thakur. I had thought that the business would wholeheartedly support what is considered a strong response to the dastardly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Operation Sindoor.

Search This Blog