India loses 7 spots in global list of happiest nations, ranks 140th
UN World Happiness Report
United Nations, Mar 20: Indians are not as happy in 2019 as they were in 2018 and the country figures at 140th place, seven spots down from last year, this year's UN World Happiness Report released Wednesday which is topped by Finland for the second year in a row.
The report was released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations on March 20 which has been declared as World Happiness Day by the UN General Assembly in 2012.
The report ranks countries on six key variables that support well-being: income, freedom, trust, healthy life expectancy, social support and generosity.
According to the report, the overall world happiness has fallen over the past few years, which has mostly been fuelled by a sustained drop in India, which came in 140th place this year compared with 133rd place in 2018.
The UN's seventh annual World Happiness Report, which ranks the world's 156 countries on "how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be", also noted that there has been an increase in negative emotions, including worry, sadness and anger.
Finland has been ranked as the happiest country in the world for the second year in succession. The Nordic nation is followed by Denmark, Norway, Iceland and The Netherlands.
Pakistan is ranked 67th, Bangladesh 125th and China is place at 93rd, according to the report.
People in war-torn South Sudan are the most unhappy with their lives, followed by Central African Republic (155), Afghanistan (154), Tanzania (153) and Rwanda (152).
The happiness study ranks the countries of the world on the basis of questions from the Gallup World Poll. The results are then correlated with other factors, including GDP and social security.
The United States ranks at 19th place for happiness, despite being one of the richest countries in the world.
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Waqf Amendment bill aimed at polarisation, will prove to be waterloo for BJP: Akhilesh Yadav in LS
New Delhi (PTI): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said in the Lok Sabha that the Waqf Amendment Bill is aimed at polarisation and will send a wrong message to the world denting the country's secular image.
Participating in a debate on the bill in the Lower House, Yadav alleged that the bill has been introduced to manage BJP's "diminishing" vote bank and will prove to be a "waterloo" for the BJP as some members might be claiming to support the bill but inside they are not happy about the development.
The Kannauj MP also claimed that the bill is being brought to divert attention from the "land capture" by China.
"Bringing Waqf Bill is the BJP's political game, it is a new form of their communal politics. The BJP wants to appease those supporters who are now distancing themselves from the party because of its policies.
"As there has been a drop in the vote share, especially in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP has been trying to manage votes and this bill is being introduced for managing votes," he said.
"BJP wants the Muslim community to feel that their rights are being attacked and the party gets to indulge in politics of polarisation because that is their agenda," he alleged.
According to the government, the bill seeks to improve the functioning of Waqf properties, address complexities, ensure transparency and introduce technology-driven management.
Tabling the Bill, which was examined and redrafted by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the legislation has nothing to do with religion, but deals only with properties.
In his speech, Yadav demanded that the Centre should guarantee that Waqf land would not be given for other purposes using any tactics.
"Neither the policy nor the intent behind the Waqf Amendment Bill is right. This is a conspiracy to snatch lands and houses of crores of people.
"The BJP is an undemocratic party, it considers dissent as its strength. When majority political parties in the country are against it, why is the government adamant on bringing this bill," he said.
"This bill will prove to be a waterloo for BJP because many members who are supporting right now are doing it from outside and inside they are not convinced about it," he added.
Yadav claimed that the bill would dent the country's secular image.
"This bill will send a wrong message to the world and will dent India's secular image," he said.
He also alleged that the bill is being introduced to divert attention from the deaths at the Mahakumbh and the "land being captured by China".
"They (BJP) are saying that whether it is Railways land or Defence's, it is India's land. The issue bigger than Waqf land is the land where China has set up its villages. But to avoid any questions or uproar about the potential dangers, this (Waqf Amendment) bill is being introduced," he said.
"They also want to divert attention from the deaths in Mahakumbh that they claim are only 30 even as at least 1,000 people are still missing," he said.
