India has ranked last out of the 40 countries considered in the 2021 edition of the Commitment to Development Index (CDI) formulated by Centre for Global Development (CGD).
The CDI, launched in 2003, ranks 40 of the world’s most powerful countries on policies that affect more than five billion people living in poorer nations.
The index developed by the US-based think tank evaluates the nations on the following areas of policy: development finance, investment, migration, trade, environment, health, security, and technology.
India has received the following ranks on these indices:
39th on development finance
33rd on investment
37th on migration
40th on trade
6th on environment
39th on health
35th on security
33rd on technology
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The policy-based index has also listed out the causes for the ranks
India, which occupies the last position on the index for the 'trade' parameter, "is ranked in the bottom five on the average tariff indicator, for having high tariffs (when these are weighted in inverse proportion to the income of trading partners). It has the third highest number of tariff peaks (tariffs over 15 percent)."
It also has among the highest restrictions on trade in services, in particular road and rail freight transport services. It is in the bottom 10 for the quality of its trade infrastructure and its customs procedures, as per CGD.
India has ranked 39th on the health parameter due to restrictions on export of food and medical goods, and lower vaccination rates, among other reasons.
"Since the beginning of 2020, India placed significant new restrictions on the export of food and medical goods (amounting to separate 138 product restrictions) and ranks last on this indicator as a result. It also has a lower vaccination rate than the CDI average for both measles, and diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, not meeting the World Health Organization targets."
The country, however, has done significantly well in the field of environment, as per the index.
"India has the lowest direct greenhouse gas emissions of any CDI country, at 2.3 tonnes CO2 equivalent per capita, compared to an average among CDI countries of 10.5 tonnes. It also has negative emissions embodied in its international trade. While India has low production of oil and gas, it should aim to reduce its coal production, which is above the CDI median," the report says.
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