India ranks 95 among 129 countries in global gender equality index
New Delhi, Jun 4: India ranked 95th out of 129 countries in a new index that measures global gender equality looking at aspects such as poverty, health, education, literacy, political representation and equality at the workplace.
The Sustainable Development Goals Gender Index has been developed by UK-based Equal Measures 2030, a joint effort of regional and global organisations including African Women's Development and Communication Network, Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and International Women's Health Coalition.
The new index includes 51 indicators across 14 of the 17 official Sustainable Development Goals and covers 129 countries across all regions of the world.
The index has ranked India at 95 among 129 countries with India's highest goal scores are on SDG 3 of health (79.9), SDG 2 of hunger and nutrition (76.2) and SDG 7 of energy (71.8).
India's lowest goal scores are on SDG 17 of partnerships (18.3, in the bottom 10 countries worldwide on the goal), SDG 9 of industry, infrastructure and innovation (38.1) and SDG 13 of climate (43.4).
Some of the factors based on which the ranking of India has been decided include proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (score of 23.6, 16th in region, women made up 11.8 per cent of parliament in 2018), the extent to which a national budget is broken down by factors such as gender, age, income, or region (score of 0.0, tied for worst in region) and percentage of seats held by women on a country's Supreme Court or highest court (score of 18.2, 4th worst in region).
"India ranks toward the bottom of the Asia and the Pacific region, ranking 17th out of the 23 Asia and the Pacific countries covered by the index. Not all countries' scores on the index correlate with national income some countries perform better than would be expected based on their GDP per capita, and others under perform," according to the findings.
Denmark was ranked at the first place and Chad at 129th place. China ranked at 74 position, Pakistan at 113 while Nepal and Bangladesh at 102 and 110 respectively, the index said.
India scored 56.2 points. The overall index score and individual goal scores are based on a scale of 0 100. A score of 100 reflects the achievement of gender equality in relation to the underlying indicators.
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AFSPA reimposed in Manipur's 6 police station areas, including strife-torn Jiribam
MHA says 'continuous volatile' situation'
New Delhi/Imphal, Nov 14: The Centre on Thursday reimposed the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Manipur's six police station areas, including the violence-hit Jiribam, with the Union home ministry asserting that the decision was taken given the "continuous volatile situation" there due to the ongoing ethnic violence.
The Central government notification on the reimposition of AFSPA came the same day the Manipur police announced the seizure of a cache of arms and ammunition from Manipur's Jiribam and Churachandpur districts.
During cordon and search operations in Champanagar, Narayanpur and Thangboipunjre areas of Jiribam district on Wednesday, one 2-inch mortar, thirty-six live barrel cartridges and five empty barrel cartridges were seized, a police statement said.
The police statement also said that one .303 rifle, one 9mm pistol, two short-range locally made cannon, two long-range locally made cannon, five AK 47 live rounds, two 9mm live rounds, four 12-bore cart cases, and eighteen .303 rifle modified live rounds were also seized from H Kotlian village in Churachandpur district.
An area or district is notified as "disturbed" under AFSPA to facilitate operations by the armed forces. AFSPA gives armed forces operating in disturbed areas sweeping powers to search, arrest and open fire if they deem it necessary for the "maintenance of public order".
The decision to reimpose AFSPA was taken given the continuous volatile situation there due to the ongoing ethnic violence, the Union Home Ministry said in the notification.
The police station areas where AFSPA has been reimposed are Sekmai and Lamsang in Imphal West district, Lamlai in Imphal East district, Jiribam in Jiribam district, Leimakhong in Kangpokpi and Moirang in Bishnupur.
On October 1, the Manipur government imposed AFSPA in the entire state, barring 19 police station areas that included these six.
The police stations excluded from the Manipur government's order were Imphal, Lamphal, City, Singjamei, Sekmai, Lamsang, Patsoi, Wangoi, Porompat, Heingang, Lamlai, Irilbung, Leimakhong, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Nambol, Moirang, Kakching, Jiribam.
The Manipur police on Monday said 10 suspected militants were killed in a fierce gunfight with security forces after insurgents in camouflage uniforms and armed with sophisticated weapons fired indiscriminately at a police station and an adjacent CRPF camp in Manipur's Jiribam district.
The suspected militants allegedly abducted six civilians, including women and children from the same district.
Also on Thursday, school and college students across the Imphal valley formed multiple human chains outside their respective educational institutions to protest against the alleged abduction.
Holding black flags and wearing black badges, the students raised slogans demanding immediate safe release of the six and called for action by the Central and State governments. The event was organised by COCOMI Students Front, a Meitei community outfit.
More than 200 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May last year.
The ethnically diverse Jiribam, which was largely untouched by the clashes in Imphal Valley and the adjoining hills, witnessed violence after the mutilated body of a farmer was found in a field in June this year.
The disturbed area declaration was in force in Manipur (except the Imphal municipality area) from 2004 till early 2022.
In April 2022, the Manipur government issued a notification where it said the disturbed area tag would no longer be applicable in seven police station areas of Imphal West district, four police station areas under the Imphal East district and one police station area each in the districts of Thoubal, Bishnupur, Kakching and Jiribam.
There are 16 districts in Manipur.
There have been protests and demands for the complete withdrawal of AFSPA from the northeast as well as Jammu and Kashmir for its alleged "draconian" provisions.
Manipuri activist Irom Chanu Sharmila fought against the law by being on hunger strike for 16 years, before ending it on August 9, 2016.
