Summary
August rankings showed India at 151st in Press Freedom, 102nd in Hunger Index, 130th in HDI, but 10th in Climate Performance. NITI Aayog’s Fiscal Health Index ranked Odisha first, while Indore remained cleanest city. Maharashtra topped export readiness, highlighting district-led export growth and fiscal sustainability focus.
Detailed Analysis
1. World Press Freedom Index 2025
- Rank: 151st out of 180 countries.
- Trend: A slight improvement from 159th (2024), but India remains in the "Very Serious" category.
- Key Concerns: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) highlighted "economic pressure" and "selective access" as major hurdles for Indian journalism.
2. Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2025
- Rank: 102nd out of 123 countries.
- Score: 25.8 (Category: Serious).
- Observation: While the score improved from 2016 (29.3), India still has the 2nd highest child wasting rate (18.7%) in the report.
3. Human Development Index (HDI) 2025
- Rank: 130th out of 193 countries.
- Category: Medium Human Development.
- Context: Life expectancy and mean years of schooling showed marginal gains, but the rank remains stagnant due to faster progress in peer nations.
4. Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2025
- Rank: 10th.
- Significance: India remains one of the few G20 nations in the "Top 10," consistently outperforming Western counterparts in renewable energy adoption and per capita emissions.
Domestic Ranks (NITI Aayog & Governance)
The domestic focus in August was on Fiscal Health and Export Readiness as the government prepared for the mid-fiscal review.
1. Fiscal Health Index 2025 (NITI Aayog)
This was a major release in August, evaluating states on five pillars (Revenue Mobilization, Debt Sustainability, etc.).
- Top Performer: Odisha (Rank 1).
- Runners Up: Chhattisgarh (2nd), Goa (3rd).
- Aspirational States: Haryana, Kerala, and West Bengal (ranked at the bottom due to high debt-to-GSDP ratios).
2. Swachh Survekshan 2025 (The "Cleanliness" Audit)
- Cleanest City (8th Time): Indore (Madhya Pradesh).
- Second Cleanest: Surat (Gujarat).
- Cleanest State: Uttar Pradesh topped the list of cleanest states in the 2025 rankings.
- Best Ganga Town: Varanasi.
3. Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2024-25
- Top Large State: Maharashtra.
- Top Himalayan State: Uttarakhand.
- Key Insight: NITI Aayog emphasized that Districts are now the primary units of export growth, with over 100 districts contributing to 80% of India's total exports.