Table of Contents
What has happened?
- India slipped two places to 53rd position in the 2020 Democracy Index’s global ranking.
- India is the world’s largest democracy but its 38 billion citizens do not seem to be enjoying many freedoms
- According to the latest report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the South Asian giant fell another two spots to 53rd position in the Democracy Index 2020.
- The primary reason for the fall was the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that came into being in January 2020.
India vs South Asia
- While being categorized as a ‘flawed democracy’, at first glance,
- India fares better than its neighboring
- However, while India has been falling in the ranks, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Pakistan have improved marginally in 2020.
- Even those countries which saw a fall in scores, none were as massive as India’s drop.
Democratic backsliding
- The Economist Intelligence Unit calls it ‘democratic backsliding’ under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- The instances of high handedness by the state have only increased.
- For instance, stand-up comedian Munawar Farooqui was arrested for a joke that he didn’t even crack.
- The judiciary’s sensitivity was seen yet again when lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan was brought under the scanner for tweets criticizing the government.
- Access to the internet was blocked in Kashmir for 213 days — two-thirds of a full year — after Article 370 of the Constitution was scrapped.
- Even today, internet shutdowns are being used to stifle the farmers’ protest against India’s new farm laws along the borders of New Delhi.
- Creators of shows like Tandav, Sacred Games, and others have been dragged to court after being accused of hurting religious sentiments.
Global
- Norway topped The Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Democracy Index report,
- With Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand and Canada making up the top five.
- Japan and South Korea both returned to the “full democracy” fold for the first time since 2014.
- Taiwan attained “full democracy” status for the first time following a spectacular jump up the rankings.
Q) Which among the following report is published by United Nations?
- World Development Report
- Ease of Living Index
- Global Competitiveness Report
- Gender Parity Index
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