top of page

Important Current Affairs for CLAT-19th January 2023

Global Fire Power Index, No Change In Top 4 Military Rankings

The Global Firepower Index ranks the countries based on their potential military strength. India is ranked fourth in the index.

The Global Firepower Index ranks the countries based on their potential military strength. India is ranked fourth in the index. The Global Firepower Index ranked 145 countries. The countries were evaluated based on prolonged offensive and defensive military campaigns.

About Global Firepower Index:

The Global Firepower Index is calculated using fifty individual factors from geography to logistical capability.

It also includes manpower, land forces, airpower, natural resources, naval forces, logistics and financials.

Under manpower, the factors considered are total population, paramilitary, reaching military age annually, active reserves and active services.

Under equipment, the factors considered are trainer fleet, aircraft fleet strength, helicopter fleet, attack fleets, rocket projectors, tank strength, towed artillery, aircraft carriers, naval fleet strength, destroyers, submarines, coastal patrol craft, frigates, mine warfare craft, coastal patrol craft and tanker fleets.

The finance factors include external debt, defence budget, reserves of foreign exchange and gold and purchasing power parity.

Global Firepower Rankings:

The Global Firepower Index, 2022, puts the US at the top, Russia at the second spot, China at No. 3, and India at No. 4.

Here is the list of the top 10 countries on Global Power Index 2023:

Position Country Score

1 United States 0.0712

2 Russia 0.0714

3 China 0.0722

4 India 0.1025

5 United Kingdom 0.1435

6 South Korea 0.1505

7 Pakistan 0.1694

8 Japan 0.1711

9 France 0.1848

10 Italy 0.1973

The Perfect 0.000 Score:

A Global Power Index rating of 0.000 is the perfect score, which no country so far has attained. The smaller the score value, the more powerful is the fighting capability, even if only on paper. The GPI does not take into account nuclear capabilities. The ranking is purely in terms of conventional capabilities.

Pakistan’s Ranking In Global Fire Power Index:

India’s military is placed fourth on the GPI out of 145 countries. India’s rival on the subcontinent, Pakistan, ranked No. 7, breaking into the top 10 again from No. 9 in the previous year. India maintained its No. 4 position. Pakistan slipped into the top 15 in 2021. Other countries in the top 10 include legacy powers such as the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and Germany. Pakistan factors in with its ally Turkey.

‘Think 20’ meeting of G20 began to be held Bhopal

‘Think 20’ meeting of G20 in Bhopal: A two-day Think-20 summit under the auspices of the G20 will bring together prominent individuals from around the world.

‘Think 20’ meeting of G20 in Bhopal

A two-day Think-20 summit under the auspices of the G20 will bring together prominent individuals from around the world to debate a range of issues, including “Global Governance with LiFE, Values, and Wellbeing.”

‘Think 20’ meeting of G20: Key Points

Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, went over preparations for the meeting on Saturday.

94 representatives from various nations would attend the summit.

MP CM will be present at the opening ceremony at the city’s Kushabhau Thackeray International Convention Center.

Tetsushi Sonobe, Dean and CEO of the Assian Development Bank Institute, Tokyo, will be the keynote speaker at the opening ceremony.

It is important to note that during India’s G20 presidency, numerous meetings and activities will take place all around the nation.

NITI Aayog Vice Chairperson Suman Bery, Chief Coordinator for India’s G20 Presidency Harsh Vardhan Shringla, and Indonesia’s Deputy Minister for Political Affairs, Law, Defense, and Security Slamet Soedarsono will also attend the meeting, according to the press release.

Sachin Chaturvedi, the director general of the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), and Sujan Chinoy, the director general of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, will both attend the opening ceremony.

1st G20 Central Bank Deputies Meet in Bengaluru Under India’s Presidency

Schedule of ‘Think 20’ meeting of G20

Two plenary sessions, a roundtable discussion, and a closing session are scheduled for the following day.

Mangubhai Patel, the governor, will speak to close the gathering.

Ten programmes will be run concurrently with the event’s opening session on the first day.

Experts will speak on a range of topics, including how to finance resilient cities and societies, the evolution of economic systems, and the relationship between traditional medicine and health wellness.

A “Bhopal Declaration” will cap off the occasion. Delegates will tour attractions including the Tribal Museum, Sanchi Stupa, and others in addition to meetings and discussion sessions. Additionally, they would be able to take advantage of cultural events planned for them within the museum.

Mastercard Announced Second Phase of Girls4Tech STEM Education in India

Mastercard announced the expansion of its signature Girls4Tech, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education program in India.

Mastercard announced the expansion of its signature Girls4Tech, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education program in India. The Girls4Tech is supported by Mastercard Impact Fund and in partnership with the American India Foundation (AIF).

The expansion of the program aims to reach up to 1 lakh female students across the country by 2024 to encourage them to take up STEM Education. The program includes 14,400 students in Delhi and 40 additional government schools where STEM courses will be offered to girls aged 8 to 14.

Mastercard Announced Second Phase of Girls4Tech STEM Education in India – Key Points

The Girls4Tech program reached over 1,12,482 girls in urban and rural locations across six states in India, including 10,000 across Delhi.

According to the All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019-20, women comprised over 43 percent of STEM graduates in India, and only 14 percent pursued scientific research in universities and institutions.

The situation becomes more concerning considering the skills gap in the workforce and the increasing necessity for businesses to attract, hire, and nurture a diverse workforce.

Mastercard has partnered with the American India Foundation (AIF) to overcome the challenges and pique girls’ interest in science and technology fields and encourage girls to take up STEM education and prepare for jobs of the future, to narrow the gender gap.

Girls4Tech was launched in 2014 and it is an award-winning education program aimed at creating future problem solvers, incorporating Mastercard’s deep expertise in technology and innovation.

Amazon back as World’s Most Valued Brand, Apple down to No 2

Billionaire Jeff Bezos’s e-commerce company Amazon has become the most valued brand, overtaking Apple, last year’s topper.

Billionaire Jeff Bezos’s e-commerce company Amazon has become the most valued brand, overtaking Apple, last year’s topper. Amazon has reclaimed the top spot as the world’s most valuable brand despite its brand value falling 15 per cent this year from $350.3 billion to $299.3 billion. According to brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance’s report, “Global 500 2023”, while Amazon is back at No 1, its brand value has fallen by over $50 billion this year, with its rating slipping from AAA+ to AAA. This is as consumers evaluate it more harshly in the post-pandemic world.

Apple slipped to the second spot:

iPhone maker Apple slipped to the second slot to be ranked the world’s second most valuable brand (brand value down 16% to $297.5 billion from $355.1 billion). This year’s fall in brand value relates to a fall in forecast revenue with supply chain disruptions and a constrained labour market expected to limit the supply of its marquee hardware products. Among all, 48 tech brands featured in the ranking, which is two less than the earlier 50 rated in 2022. This is after Snapchat and Twitter dropped out.

list of the Top 10 most valuable brands according to the report:

1. Amazon- Worth $299.3 billion

2. Apple- Worth $297.5 billion

3. Google-Worth $281.4 billion

4. Microsoft-Worth $191.6 billion

5. Walmart-Worth $113.8 billion

6. Samsung Group-Worth $99.7 billion

7. ICBC-Worth $69.5 billion

8. Verizon-Worth $67.4 billion

9. Tesla-Worth $66.2 billion

10.TikTok/Douyin-Worth $65.7 billion

India’s Top-Valued Brands:

From India, over 150-year-old Tata Group is the only brand to feature in the top 100. The conglomerate’s brand value jumped up to 69 from 78 last year. However, reasons for the ranking going up were not available. Among Indian IT tech giants, Infosys jumped to the 150th slot from 158 last year. According to the report, Infosys has seen an 84% increase in its brand value since 2020.

Pakistan is South Asia’s Weakest Economy, World Bank report

World Bank forecast Pakistan’s economic growth to slow further to two percent during the current year. This will mark a drop of two percentage points from its June 2022 estimates.

World Bank forecast Pakistan’s economic growth to slow further to two percent during the current year. This will mark a drop of two percentage points from its June 2022 estimates, according to the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects report. The report said that Pakistan’s economic output was not only declining itself but also bringing down the regional growth rate as well. Forecasting Pakistan’s GDP growth rate to improve to 3.2 per cent in 2024, the report said, “Policy uncertainty further complicates the economic outlook” of Pakistan.

More About This:

This pace reflects still robust growth in India, Maldives, and Nepal, offsetting the effects of the floods in Pakistan and the economic and political crises in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. The deteriorating global environment, however, will weigh on investment in the region,” the report said pointing to a “sharp, long-lasting slowdown” with the global growth expected at 1.7 per cent this year.

Devastating Floods, Biggest Reason:

Floods in Pakistan in July last year was cited as the main reason for the faltering economic situation in the country by the World Bank. The report also cited devastating floods in 2022 as a reason for the precarious economic situation in the country. Floods deluged almost one-third of Pakistan and directly impacted about 15 percent of the country’s population. “Recovery and reconstruction needs are expected to be 1.6 times the FY2022-23 national development budget,” the report said.

Cost of food items touches sky:

In Pakistan, soaring prices of basic food items have been burning hole in the pockets of people. Wheat, which is an essential staple food of Pakistanis, is barely in reach for many locals. Its prices have surged over 57 per cent, while the cost of wheat flour also saw an increase of 41 per cent, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said.

Pakistan’s forex reserves hit new low:

Pakistan’s forex reserves have hit a new low of USD 4.6 billion that would be barely adequate to pay for foreign bills for three weeks. Analysts have put the country’s need for relief at USD 33 billion. The shortage of dollars has been drastically hurting the economy and diverting remittances from the legal banking channel to the grey market.

J&K Becomes First Indian UT to Completely Shift to e-Governance Mode

Jammu & Kashmir becomes the first union territory in India to completely switch to a digital method of administration, leading the way in the digital transformation of governance.

Jammu & Kashmir becomes the first union territory in India to completely switch to a digital method of administration, leading the way in the digital transformation of governance. All governmental and administrative services in Jammu & Kashmir are currently only offered digitally.

The declaration was made during the meeting of the Committee of Secretaries. Chief Secretary Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta instructed the commissioner of IT during the meeting to make sure that all government services would only be accessible online

J&K Becomes First Indian UT to Completely Shift to e-Governance Mode – Key Points

According to the state administration’s guidelines, no service will be unavailable, and applicants won’t need to go to a government office.

Dr. Arun Mehta also instructed all the secretaries to make sure that services were delivered online without difficulty and tasked them with organizing public awareness campaigns in panchayats and educational institutions.

The UT administration constituted a ‘Coordination Cell’ for monitoring the progress of the implementation of online services in Jammu and Kashmir.

About Arun Mehta

Dr. Arun Mehta was appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir on 27th May 2021 by the Government of India. He previously served as the Finance Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir.

TCS, Infosys among top three global IT brands as per Brand Finance

Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys grew their brand value to retain their positions as the second and third most valuable IT services brands, according to the Brand Finance for the year 2023.

Brand Finance Report for the year 2023

Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys grew their brand value to retain their positions as the second and third most valuable IT services brands, according to the ‘IT Services 25’ list prepared by UK-based consultancy Brand Finance for the year 2023.

Gist of The Report:-

Accenture retained the top slot for the fifth year straight, with a brand valued at $39.8 billion. It is the strongest IT services brand in the ranking with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 87.8 out of 100 and a corresponding AAA brand rating.

TCS’s brand value was up 2 per cent at $17.2 billion. TCS has delivered many tailored transformation programmes as clients migrated to various hybrid working methods, said the Brand Finance report.

Infosys’s brand value rose 2 per cent to $13 billion as it consolidated its position amongst the top three most valuable IT services brands globally. A rating of AAA helped Infosys to enter the top 150 most valuable brands in the world.

HCLTech’s brand value was up 7 per cent, as it retained its position as the eighth most valued brand. HCLTech’s brand valuation grew the highest among the four major India-based technology firms placed in the Top 10 IT Services category.

Tech Mahindra was another brand that climbed the ranking order from 15th position to 11th a bigger jump in ranking than any other brand. Its brand value has increased by approximately 66 per cent since the beginning of the pandemic.On a year on year basis Tech Mahindra’s brand value was up 15 per cent to $3.5 billion.

The two brands that saw a drastic fall were Cognizant and Wipro.

Nasdaq-listed Cognizant fell from fifth position to seventh with a brand value of $8.63 billion.

Wipro saw its ranking go down to nine from last year’s seven.

About Brand Finance:-

Brand Finance is the world’s leading independent brand valuation and strategy consultancy. Headquartered in the City of London, we are present in over 20 countries. Founded in 1996 with the aim of ‘bridging the gap between marketing and finance’, for more than 20 years we have helped companies and organisations of all types to connect their brands to the bottom line.

Comments


bottom of page