6 Months Current Affairs

National
Reports & Ranking
‘India State of Forest Report (ISFR)’ 2021.

Union Environment Minister, Bhupender Yadav had

launched the 17th edition of the biennial ‘India State of
Forest Report (ISFR)’ 2021.

ISFR is released by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), every

two years since 1987 to assess the country’s forest
resources.

India’s forest and tree cover rose by 2,261 square

kilometres in ISFR 2021 as compared to the assessment of
2019.

The total forest and tree cover in the country is now spread
across 80.9 million hectares or 24.62% of the geographical
area of the country.

• The top 3 states in terms of increase in forest cover are Andhra Pradesh
(647 sq km), Telangana (632 sq km), Odisha (537 sq km)

• Area-wise, Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover, followed by

Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra.

• The top 3 states in terms of forest cover as a percentage of total

geographical area are Mizoram (84.53%), Arunachal Pradesh (79.33%),
Meghalaya (76.00%).

• The mangrove cover in the country recorded an increase of 17 sq km as

compared to the assessment of 2019. Total mangrove cover in the
country now covers 4,992 sq km.

• Top three States in terms of increase in mangrove cover are Odisha (8

sq km), Maharashtra (4 sq km) and Karnataka (3 sq km).
Que: Which IIT has emerged as the best institute under the “CFTIs, Central
University, & Institute of National Importance” category in the Atal Rankings
of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2021?
Que: इनोवेशन अचीवम, -स 2021 पर सं5थान8 क: अटल र=ि◌कंग (ARIIA) म,
“CFTIs, क,CDय ि◌विFववGयालय और राIJDय महLव के सं5थान” Nेणी के
तहत कौन सा IIT सवNRIठ सं5थान के Tप म, उभरा है ?

Ans: IIT Madras (Centrally Funded Technical Institute (CFTI)

• IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi stood 2nd & 3rd resp.
• first edition of ARIIA started in 2019
• ARIIA 2021 classify participating institutions into under two major
categories; Technical and Non-technical.
(ARIIA) is a path-breaking policy initiative of the Ministry of Education
(MoE), Govt. of India implemented through AICTE and MoE’s Innovation
Cell

UP become India’s top vegetable producer

• During the fiscal year 2022, Uttar Pradesh

produced the largest share of vegetables in
India, accounting for 14.8 percent.

• West Bengal came in second at 14 percent.

• Andhra Pradesh remains the top fruit

producer.

• As a leading producer of low-cost fruits and

vegetables, the country had an enormous
export market. The main exports include
onions, mango pulp, fresh mangoes, dried
walnuts and fresh grapes.
 Tiger deaths increased to 127 in 2021, as per state report

The number of deaths of Tigers in the country

has risen to 127 in 2021, in comparison to 106
in 2020, as per reports from the states.

• Madhya Pradesh reported the maximum

number of deaths with 42 deaths, followed by
Maharashtra with 27 deaths, Karnataka with
Minister for Environment, Forest
15 and Uttar Pradesh with 9.
and Climate Change Bhupender
Yadav

the tiger numbers increased as per the latest estimation done in 2018, with an
estimated number of 2,967 as compared to 2014 estimation of 2,226.

Que: Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has released ‘Climate of India

during 2021’ report. As per the report, the year 2021 was the
_______________ warmest year in India since country-wide records started
in India in 1901.
Que:भारतीय मौसम Yवभाग (IMD) ने ‘2021 के दौरान भारत क: जलवाय‘ु
^रपोट_ जारD क: है । ^रपोट_ के अनस
ु ार, वष_ 2021 भारत म, ___________
सबसे गम_ वष_ था, जब से भारत म, 1901 म, इस दे शfयापी ^रकॉड_ क:
शiु आत हुई थी।
Ans: 5th

• The highest warming was observed during 2016.

• India reported a loss of 1,750 lives because of extreme weather

events in 2021. Maharashtra was the most adversely affected state,
with 350 deaths.

IMD Founded: 1875

Headquarters: New Delhi
Director-General of Meteorology:
Mrutyunjay Mohapatra
Que:The latest data on maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by the Registrar General of
India shows that during the period between 2017-2019, the MMR in India stood at
__________
lFन: भारत के रिज5Jार जनरल Gवारा मात ृ मLृ यु अनप
ु ात (एमएमआर) पर नवीनतम
आंकड़8 से पता चलता है rक 2017-2019 क: अवuध के दौरान, भारत म, एमएमआर
__________ पर था।
Ans:103
• MMR is defined as the number of maternal deaths per
1,00,000 live births during a given period.

• This rate was 122 in 2015-17 and 113 in 2016-18.

Kerala emerged on top in maternal and child health (recording the

MMR of 30) in the country, followed by Telangana, and Maharashtra

Italy, Norway, Poland, and Belarus have the lowest MMR in the
world.

Sex Ratio At Birth In India

Sex ratio at birth is the number of females per thousand

males.

The annual report on Vital Statistics based on 2020 Civil

Registration System report, released by the Registrar-General
of India:
• Highest Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) based on registered events
has been reported by Ladakh (1,104) followed by
Arunachal Pradesh (1,011), A&N Islands (984)

• The lowest sex ratio was reported by Manipur (880), followed by Dadra and
Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (898), Gujarat (909), Haryana (916) and
Madhya Pradesh (921).

• The sex ratio at birth of registered events is an important indicator to map the
sex differential of the population at the beginning of their life.
Que: What is the new Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in India as per the National Family
Health Survey (NFHS-5)?
lFनः राIJDय प^रवार 5वा5xय सवRyण (एनएफएचएस-5) के अनस
ु ार भारत म, नई
कुल lजनन दर (टDएफआर) |या है ?
Ans: 2.0
• Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya released
the National Report of the 5th round of National
Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) at the ‘Swasthya
Chintan Shivir’ held at Vadodara.

• The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) which is measured as the average number
of children per woman has come down from 2.2 to 2.0 at the national
level between NFHS-4 and 5.
• There are only five states in India, which are above the replacement
level of fertility of 2.1, including Bihar (2.98), Meghalaya (2.91), Uttar
Pradesh (2.35), Jharkhand (2.26) Manipur (2.17).

However, obesity has increased from 21% to 24% among women and
19% to 23% among men.

The NHFS-5 also mentioned that institutional births have increased

substantially from 79% to 89% in India. Even in rural areas around 87%
of births are delivered in institutions and the same is 94% in urban
areas.

The prevalence of women having bank or savings accounts that they

use has increased from 53 to 79% in the last 4 years.
Que:Which state has topped the NITI Aayog’s Export Preparedness Index 2021?
lFनः नी}त आयोग के }नया_त तैयारD सच
ू कांक 2021 म, rकस रा•य ने शीष_ 5थान
हा€सल rकया है ?
Ans: Gujarat

• Gujarat has retained the top position in the • The Export Preparedness
second edition. The first edition was released in Index (EPI) is prepared by the
2020. NITI Aayog in partnership
with the Institute of
• Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Haryana are Competitiveness.
the other top 5 states in the 2021 index
respectively. • The Index assesses the
readiness of the states and
• Across the Union Territories, Delhi has performed union territories, in terms of
the best, followed by Jammu and Kashmir, their export potential and
Chandigarh and Puducherry performance.

NITI Aayog’s State Energy and Climate Index: Gujarat tops

• NITI Aayog has launched the State Energy &

Climate Index (SECI) Round I.

• The State Energy & Climate Index (SECI) Round I

ranks the states’ performance on 6 parameters,
namely,

(1) DISCOM’s Performance

(2) Access, Affordability and Reliability of Energy
(3) Clean Energy Initiatives
(4) Energy Efficiency
(5) Environmental Sustainability; and
(6) New Initiatives.
 Top Three States among Larger States Category
• Gujarat
• Kerala
• Punjab

Top Three States among Smaller States Category

• Goa
• Tripura
• Manipur

Top Three UTs

• Chandigarh
• Delhi
• Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli

Que: Which state has retained its number one spot in the SKOCH State of
Governance rankings in 2021?
Que: rकस रा•य ने 2021 म, SKOCH 5टे ट ऑफ़ गवनƒस र=rकंग म, अपना नंबर एक
5थान बरकरार रखा है ?
Ans: Andhra Pradesh (2nd - West Bengal and 3rd - Odisha)

• The SKOCH Group has released the SKOCH Governance Report Card for 2021 in
New Delhi, ranking the states according to their performance in various projects
at state, district, and Email Article Print Article municipal levels.

• Andhra is also the only State from southern India to have been given ‘Star’
ratings in 2021, West Bengal, Odisha, Gujarat and Maharashtra are the other
States.

• Star States have focussed on agriculture, ease of doing business, power and
energy, social justice and security and water.

• Andhra Pradesh also bagged top position in police and safety, agriculture,
district administration, and rural development.
Que: Which state has scored overall highest in National e-governance Service
Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) Report 2021?
Que:राIJDय ई-गवनƒस सYव_स …डलDवरD असेसम, ट (NeSDA) ^रपोट_ 2021 म, rकस
रा•य ने सम† Tप से उ‡चतम 5कोर rकया है ?
Ans: Kerala

• 2nd edition of NeSDA 2021 report (biennial)

• Released by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh
• Focused on Central Ministries on their effectiveness in delivering
online services to citizens.

• NeSDA 2021 covers services across seven sectors – Finance, Labour &
Employment, Education, Local Governance & Utility Services, Social
Welfare, Environment and Tourism sectors.

Ranking of State / UT Portals is as follows:

• Among UTs: Jammu and Kashmir, assessed first time in NeSDA 2021,
scored highest among all UTs for six sectors.
• Among North-east and Hill States: Nagaland
• Among Remaining State Category A: Kerala
• Among Remaining State Category B: Odisha

• Ministry Portal of Home Affairs had the highest overall compliance

score.
 Que:What is the per centage rise in Tuberculosis (TB) cases in India in 2021, as
per India TB Report 2022?
lFन: भारत म, टDबी ^रपोट_ 2022 के अनस
ु ार, 2021 म, भारत म, तपेˆदक
(टDबी) के मामल8 म, rकतने l}तशत क: वG ृ uध हुई है ?
Ans: 19%

• The ‘India TB Report 2022’ was recently released by the Union Health Minister.

• The total number of incident TB patients notified during 2021 were around 19
lakhs as opposed to that of 16 lakhs in 2020.

• There has been an increase in the mortality rate due to TB between 2019 and
2020 by 11 per cent in India.

Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among 15 years and above in India was

316/lakh population - highest PTB prevalence of 534/lakh in Delhi and the
lowest PTB Prevalence of 115/lakh in Kerala.

Que: Which state has topped the 4th Food Safety Index awards announced by Union
Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on the occasion of World Food Safety Day?
Que:YवFव खाGय सरु yा ˆदवस के अवसर पर क,CDय 5वा5xय मं‰ी मनसख ु मंडाYवया
Gवारा घोYषत चौथे खाGय सरु yा सच
ू कांक परु 5कार8 म, कौन सा रा•य शीष_ पर है ?
Ans: Tamil Nadu

This was started in 2018-19 by Food Safety and

Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

The aim of the award is to create a competitive

and positive change in India’s food safety
ecosystem.

Top ranked Large State Category: Tamil Nadu

Top Ranking Small State Category: Goa
Top Ranking Union Territory: J&K
Que: As per the ‘Road accidents in India – 2020’ report released recently, which
state/UT recorded the highest accident severity in 2020?
lFनः हाल हD म, जारD 'भारत म, सड़क दघ
ु ट
_ नाएं-2020' ^रपोट_ के अनस
ु ार, rकस
रा•य/क,C शा€सत lदे श ने 2020 म, सबसे अuधक दघ ु ट
_ ना दज_ क:?
Ans: Mizoram

• Mizoram (79), followed by Bihar (78) and Punjab

(75) in 2020.
• Lowest number of road accidents since 2000 and
least deaths since 2010, were reported in the year
2020.
• However, road accident severity, measured by the
number of persons killed per 100 accidents,
increased in 2020 to 36 – highest since 2000.
• In 2020, every third accident was fatal — accident
involving at least one death.

Que: As per ‘Deloitte’s Women in the Boardroom report’, what is the

percentage of Women representation of board seats in India in 2021?
lFन: 'वीमेन इन द बोड_Tम ^रपोट_ ' के अनस
ु ार, 2021 म, भारत म, बोड_ सीट8 म,
मˆहलाओं का l}त}नuधLव rकतना l}तशत है ?
Ans:17.1
• In India, women representation of board
seats increased by 9.4 per cent from 2014
to 17.1 per cent in 2021.

• The report finds that globally, women hold

19.7 per cent of the board seats, which rose
by 2.8 per cent since 2018.

• At the current pace, the world could expect

to reach near-parity only in 2045.
Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2020-21:

• released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme

Implementation

• the unemployment rate saw a decrease of 0.6% and

fell to 4.2% in 2020-21, compared with 4.8% in 2019-
20

• Rural areas recorded an unemployment rate of 3%

and urban areas recorded an unemployment rate of
6.7%

• The migration rate is 28.9%.

Unemployment rate at 8.2% in JANUARY-MARCH 2022, says

NSO survey

The unemployment rate for persons of 15 years and above in urban

areas dipped to 8.2 per cent in January-March 2022 from 9.3 per cent
in the year-ago quarter, showed a periodic labour force survey by the
National Statistical Office (NSO).

Joblessness or unemployment rate (UR) is defined as the percentage

of unemployed persons in the labour force.

Joblessness was high in January-March in 2021 mainly due to the

staggering impact of the lockdown restrictions in the country, which
were imposed to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Que: Which Union Ministry released the ‘Performance Grading Index for Districts
(PGI-D)’?
lFनः rकस क,CDय मं‰ालय ने 'िजल8 के €लए lदश_न †े…डंग इंड|
े स' जारD rकया?
Ans: Ministry of Education

• The Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of

Education (MoE) released the Centre’s first-ever Performance Grading Index
for Districts (PGI-D) for 2018-19 and 2019-20 for States and Union
Territories.

• Assessment Grades: The PGI-D grades the districts into 10 grades.

• The PGI-D structure has 600 points, across 83 indicators, grouped under six
categories – Outcomes, Effective Classroom Transaction, Infrastructure
Facilities & Student’s Entitlements, School Safety & Child Protection, Digital
Learning and Governance Process.

• The highest achievable grade is ‘Daksh’, which is for

districts scoring more than 90% of the total points in that
category or overall.

• The lowest grade in PGI-D is ‘Akanshi-3’ which is for scores

upto 10% of the total points.

Best Performers:

• None of the districts figured in the highest ‘Daksh’ grade in

both these years.

• 3 districts from Rajasthan figured in ‘Utkarsh’ grade in

2019-20 (performed the best in the assessment) — Sikar,
Jhunjhunu, and Jaipur
 Lowest Performers:

The districts with the lowest scores (1 out of 50) were:

South Salmara-Mankachar (Assam), Alirajpur (Madhya Pradesh), North

Garo Hills and South Garo Hills in Meghalaya, and Khowai (Tripura) in
2019-20.

The Indian Education System is one of the largest in the world with about
15 lakh schools, 97 lakh teachers, and nearly 26crore students from
varied socio-economic backgrounds.

Que: Which organization has recently released “Inequality Kills” report?

Que: rकस संगठन ने हाल हD म, “इनइि|वलटD ि◌कŽस” ^रपोट_ जारD क: है ?
Ans: Oxfam India

• According to Oxfam India “Inequality Kills” report, wealth of India’s richest families
reached to a record high in 2021.
• In the report, India was described as ‘very unequal,’ country
• The top 10 people in India holds 57 per cent of the wealth. On the other hand, share
of bottom half is 13 per cent.
• Report states that, 84% of Indian households witnessed an income decline amid
covid-19 pandemic.
• Richest 98 Indians own the same wealth as bottom 552 million people.
• Number of Indian billionaires increased from 102 to 142, during 2021.
• Wealth of the top 100 families is Rs 57.3 trillion.
Que: What is the global rank of the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) in the Brand
Finance ‘Most valuable’ insurance brand in 2021?
lFन: 2021 म, •ांड फाइन,स के सबसे मŽ
ू यवान बीमा •ांड म, जीवन बीमा }नगम
(एलआईसी) क: वैिFवक र=क |या है ?
Ans:10th

• LIC has a valuation of USD 8.656 billion

(around Rs 64,722 crore).

• LIC was ranked as 206th most valuable

overall global brand in 2021

• Ping An Insurance of China is at the top.

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