India’s passport ranking drops to 148 among 199 countries
New Delhi: India’s passport ranking has fallen to 148th place among 199 countries, down from 147th last year, in a list of the world’s most powerful passports, according to the latest Nomad Capitalist Passport Index 2025.
The index, released by the tax and immigration consultancy firm Nomad Capitalist, ranks passports based on five key parameters: visa-free travel (50%), taxation (20%), global perception (10%), dual citizenship (10%), and personal freedom (10%).
The index uses government data from 199 passport-issuing countries and territories, alongside real-time intelligence and proprietary research, to measure the ease of travel, which includes visa-free access, visa on arrival, and electronic travel authorizations (eTA/eVisa).
India shared the 148th spot with the East African country of Comoros, with a total score of 47.5. Last year, it held the 147th rank with Mozambique.
Ireland was ranked as the world’s strongest passport of 2025 on the Nomad Capitalist Passport Index, due to Irish citizens’ “right to live and work freely across the European Union and, uniquely, in the United Kingdom”.
Switzerland followed in second place, followed by Greece, Portugal, Malta, Italy, Luxembourg, Finland, Norway, the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and Iceland. The United States held the joint 45th rank alongside San Marino.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, countries like Pakistan, Iraq, Eritrea, Yemen, and Afghanistan were ranked among the weakest passports, placing from 195th to 199th.
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Maharashtra government reduces Ladki Bahin Yojana stipend for 8 lakh beneficiaries: Report
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has reportedly cut down on the stipend received by eight lakh beneficiaries of the Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana.
Under the revised structure, the beneficiaries will receive Rs 500 instead of Rs 1,500 per month because they already receive Rs 1,000 under another government scheme, the Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi (NSMN), as reported by the Times of India.
The Ladki Bahin scheme has the stipulation that its beneficiaries can avail other government schemes only if the benefit is capped at Rs. 1,500 per month.
“There has been an ongoing scrutiny. First to scan the applications that were sent by the districts to the state headquarters. And then to re-scrutinise the eligible cases,” TOI report quoted an official as saying.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier said he expected the number of beneficiaries to reduce by 10-15 lakh after the scrutiny process. "We are not changing criteria or funding, just ensuring only eligible ones get the stipend," he claimed.
The Opposition remarked that the state government is cheating the women who voted them to power.
The Mahayuti government had launched the Ladki Bahin Yojana in July 2024, where it provides Rs 1,500 per month to eligible women under the scheme. In its poll manifesto ahead of the state Assembly elections, the Mahayuti had promised to increase the amount to Rs 2,100. However, this commitment has not been fulfilled.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra’s debt projection is Rs 9.3 lakh crore for 2025-26. The outlay for the Ladki Bahin scheme was reduced from Rs 46,000 crore to Rs 36,000 crore in the 2025-26 budget.
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