India at 61st rank in Network Readiness Index 2022 (GS Paper 3, Economy)
Why in news?
- India has improved its position by six slots and is now placed at 61st rank as per the Network Readiness Index 2022 (NRI 2022) report released recently.
Key Highlights:
- The United States tops the list with an overall score of 80.3. It is followed by Singapore with a score of 79.35 and Sweden with a score of 78.91.
- India is ranked 3rd out of 36 in the group of lower-middle-income countries after Ukraine (50) and Indonesia (59).
- India has a score higher than the income group average in all pillars and sub-pillars.
India’s performance:
- India has not only improved its ranking, but also improved its score from 49.74 in 2021 to 51.19 in 2022.
- 1st rank in “AI talent concentration”.
- 2nd rank in “Mobile broadband internet traffic within the country” and “International Internet bandwidth”.
- 3rd rank in “Annual investment in telecommunication services” and “Domestic market size”.
- 4th rank in “ICT Services exports”.
- 5th rank in “FTTH/Building Internet subscriptions” and “AI scientific publications”.
About Network Readiness Index 2022:
- In its latest version of 2022, the NRI Report maps the network-based readiness landscape of 131 economies based on their performances in four different pillars: Technology, People, Governance, and Impact covering a total of 58 variables.
- The report has been prepared by the Portulans Institute, an independent non-profit, nonpartisan research and educational institute based in Washington DC.
Dalai Lama conferred Gandhi Mandela Award by HP governor RajendraArlekar
(Miscellaneous)
Why in news?
- Recently, the Governor of Himachal Pradeshfelicitated Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama with the Gandhi Mandela Award.
About Gandhi Mandela Award:
- The award, constituted by the Gandhi Mandela Foundation, is in recognition of promoting the values and ideals of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela in the interest of global peace and freedom.
- The award serves to recognise the global leaders who inspire citizens for peace, unity and freedom.
About Dalai Lama:
- For India, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, is a symbol of Buddhism.
- A Nobel laureate (1989 Nobel Peace Prize) and a promoter of peace and religious harmony in the world, the Dalai Lama is one of the respected religious leaders.
- The Dalai Lama, along with many of his supporters, fled the Himalayan homeland and took refuge in India when Chinese troops moved in and took control of Lhasa in 1959.
A&N seeks GI tag for Nicobari
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Why in news?
- Recently, the Geographical Indications Registry at Guindy, Chennai, has received an application from the Tribal Development Council, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, seeking the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the Nicobari hodi boat.
- This is the first application from the Union Territory seeking a tag for one its products.
What is hodi?
- The hodi is the Nicobari tribe’s traditional craft.
- It is an outrigger canoe, very commonly operated in the Nicobar group of islands.
- The technical skills for building a hodi are based on indigenous knowledge inherited by the Nicobarese from their forefathers.
- The hodi is built using either locally available trees or from nearby islands, and its design varies slightly from island to island.
- The finished canoe has to be l2 times that of its width while the length of the undressed tree trunk has to be l5 times this width.
Use of hodis:
- Hodisare used for transporting people and goods from one island to another, sending coconuts, fishing and racing purposes.
- The tuhet, a group of families under a headman, consider the hodi an asset. Hodi races are held between islands and villages.
