Recent 6 months news in Reports

According to the “2026 Living Planet Report (LPR): The Science of Hope” released by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in partnership with the Zoological Society of London, an average of 73% of monitored wildlife populations globally declined over the 50-year period between 1970 and 2022.

The report states that freshwater wildlife populations witnessed the sharpest average decline at 85%, while habitat loss and degradation emerged as the most frequently reported threats. Region-wise, Latin America and the Caribbean reported the steepest decline in monitored wildlife populations at 95%.

The National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has released the key findings of the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), marking the first-ever nationwide survey on household travel patterns in India.

According to the survey, 66.4% of students aged 6 years and above travel more than 1 km daily to attend educational institutions (65.6% in rural areas and 68.1% in urban areas). Walking (37%) is the primary mode of transport for students.

The survey reveals that 42.6% of workers use two-wheelers as the primary mode of transport for commuting to fixed workplaces. A worker incurred an average monthly expenditure of ₹785 for commuting to a fixed workplace.

According to the results of the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) 2024-25 released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the manufacturing Gross Value Added (GVA) increased by 9.59% in FY25. Total employment in the sector grew by 7.19% to reach 2.1 crore.

The report states that the total emoluments paid to the workforce grew by 12.08% compared to FY24. Tamil Nadu ranks top in terms of industrial establishments with 41,221 units. The top five states account for 53.3% of the total industrial establishments in India.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has released the Sub-Sectoral Trial Index of Services Production (ISP) for July 2026, utilizing 2024-25 as the base year to monitor 19 service sub-sectors.

The ISP data indicates that 17 out of the 19 sub-sectors achieved positive growth in July 2026, with 10 sub-sectors recording double-digit growth compared to July 2025. Most categories recorded positive Year-on-Year (YoY) growth, with the exceptions of Air Transport and Repair Services.

According to the “World University Rankings 2027” released by the Times Higher Education (THE) during the World Academic Summit hosted by the University of Cape Town, South Africa, the IISc Bengaluru is the highest-ranked institution in India, ranking 254th worldwide with an overall score of 57.

The University of Oxford (UK) is ranked top for the 11th consecutive year, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA). Princeton University (USA) and Stanford University (USA) are jointly ranked third, while the University of Cambridge (UK) is ranked fifth.

According to a report titled “Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Schools 2015-25” released jointly by the WHO and UNICEF, India has the highest number of children globally without access to sanitation services, with 50 million. This accounts for about 20% of the 244 million children globally who lack such services as of 2025.

Based on current trends, global projections for 2030 estimate that 84% of children will have access to water services (10% with no service), 81% will have sanitation access (7% with no service), and 79% will have hygiene access (12% with no service).

According to the “OAG Megahubs 2026 report” released by the Official Airline Guide (OAG), the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) of Delhi is ranked 28th globally.

Istanbul Airport (IST) of Turkiye is ranked as the most connected international airport with flight connections to 337 destinations. It is followed by London Heathrow Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

According to the 10th edition of the “Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI 2026): Insight Report September 2026” released by the World Economic Forum (WEF), India is ranked 31st with an overall score of 4.42.

Japan is ranked top with a score of 5.27, followed by the USA, Spain, Australia, and France. Mali is ranked at the bottom of the index with a score of 2.75.

According to the “Electrification Special Report 2026” released by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the electrification rate of India is projected to rise from 19% to 32% by 2035.

Accelerated electrification could reduce global energy import bills by over $400 billion by 2035. The electrification rate of Southeast Asia is projected to increase from 25% to 37% by 2035.

According to the “State of Global Water Resources 2025” report released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), 2025 marked the 4th consecutive year in which every major glaciated region recorded a net loss in ice mass, with global glacier loss estimated at 408 plus or minus 132 gigatonnes.

The report further states that mountain glaciers have lost about 6.2% of their total ice mass between 2000 and 2025.

India is ranked top in business climate among 41 global markets in the “Global Business Climate Survey 2026”, demonstrating strong confidence among Swedish companies operating in India. Ireland is ranked second, followed by Vietnam.

According to the second edition of the “India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2025: Tracking Electric Mobility Trends in Indian States” report released by NITI Aayog, in collaboration with World Resources Institute (WRI) India, Delhi retained the top position in the overall index with a score of 84). It is followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka.

The report further states that in the ‘Large States’ category, Maharashtra is ranked first, followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Manipur topped the ‘Hilly and Northeastern States’ category with a score of 46, followed by Tripura and Assam. Within the ‘UTs and City States’ category, Delhi is ranked top, followed by Chandigarh and Goa.

According to the “Survey on Computer Software and Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) Exports: 2025-26” released by the RBI, the software services exports of India grew by 8.2% year-on-year to reach $221.4 billion.

The USA remains the top destination for these exports, accounting for 54.1% of the total export volume.

According to the 17th edition of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Monthly Bulletin for August 2026 released by the NSO under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the overall unemployment rate (UR) for individuals aged 15+ decreased to 5.0% in August 2026, compared to 5.1% in July 2026.

The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for the same age group increased to 55.6% in August 2026 (up from 55.4% in July 2026). The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) also rose to 52.8% from 52.5% in the previous month.

According to the 9th edition of the “Trade Watch Quarterly (TWQ) Thematic Analysis: Metals and Ores Trade” released by the NITI Aayog for the first quarter (Q1) of FY 2027 (April to June 2026), global goods trade reached $13.7 trillion in the first half of Calendar Year (CY) 2026, reflecting a 12.5% Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) growth.

The total merchandise and services trade of India expanded to $506.9 billion in Q1 FY27, registering a 15.5% Y-o-Y growth. During the same period, merchandise exports increased by 16% to $129.5 billion, while merchandise imports grew by 19.8% to reach $216.1 billion.

According to the 40th edition of the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 40) released by Z/Yen Partners, in collaboration with the China Development Institute (CDI), the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) is ranked 37th globally.

New York is ranked top among the global financial centres, followed by London, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

According to the 20th edition of the “Global Gender Gap Report 2026” released by the World Economic Forum (WEF), India is ranked 131st out of 145 evaluated nations with a score of 0.645.

Iceland is ranked top for the 17th consecutive year with a score of 0.93, followed by Finland and Norway.

The PM Kisan Maandhan Yojana (PM-KMY) was launched in 2019 as a voluntary and contributory old-age pension scheme to provide social security to Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs). The scheme is implemented in collaboration with the LIC and has recently completed 7 years of operation.

The PM-KMY offers eligible landholding SMFs in the age group of 18 to 40 years with cultivable land up to 2 hectares a steady monthly pension starting from the age of 60.

Enrolled farmers are required to make monthly contributions ranging from ₹55 to ₹200, depending on their entry age. It is to be noted that as of February 2026, a total of 24.96 lakh farmers have enrolled in the scheme across the country.

According to the data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the total combined exports (merchandise and services) of India in the first five months of FY27 (April-August 2026) reached $399.27 billion, representing a growth of 15.5%.

Merchandise exports for the period stood at $215.91 billion, compared to $183.21 billion in the same period of the previous year. Total imports for the April-August 2026 period are estimated at $459.65 billion, showing a growth of 18.01%.

MoC&I further stated that in August 2026, the total combined exports of India were estimated at $82.68 billion, registering a growth of 25.41%. Total combined imports for the month are estimated at $92.09 billion, marking a growth of 18.75%.

According to a dataset released by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Karnataka has emerged as the leading state in semiconductor support under the ChipIN Centre initiative.

The state recorded the highest engagement under the initiative, featuring 81 organisations, 73 chip tape-outs, and 88 lakh hours of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tool usage. The ChipIN Centre initiative was launched by MeitY in 2023 and is established at the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).