India is planning to challenge biased and neo-colonial country rankings produced by global agencies on topics such as governance and press freedom, according to a key advisor to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interview with Reuters on Friday.
Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of Modi’s Economic Advisory Council, stated that India has started addressing this issue at international forums. He mentioned that these rankings are created by a small group of think-tanks in the North Atlantic, supported by a few funding agencies with specific agendas.
“This not only shapes narratives in a vague manner, but also has a tangible impact on trade, investment, and other activities,” Sanyal emphasized.
India was ranked lower than Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Reporters Without Borders index, and below Pakistan and Bhutan in an academic freedom index by the V-Dem Institute.
Sanyal highlighted that India has raised concerns about the methodologies used to compile global indices in meetings over the past year, particularly those used by institutions like the World Bank, World Economic Forum (WEF), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
He mentioned, “The World Bank plays a role by endorsing these opinions from think-tanks in the form of the world governance index.”
The World Bank, WEF, Reporters Without Borders, and V-DEM Institute did not respond immediately to requests for comment. UNDP stated that they would respond shortly.
Sanyal pointed out that these ratings influence decision-making through ESG norms and sovereign ratings, impacting projects that receive funding from multilateral development banks.
“The issue lies in how these norms are defined and verified for compliance, with developing countries being excluded from the conversation,” he explained.
The Cabinet Secretariat has been actively discussing this matter, holding numerous meetings this year, according to a government official. However, the Cabinet Secretariat and finance ministry did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
India aims to advocate for developing countries during its G20 presidency, but it is unclear whether the issue of country rankings has been raised with the G20.
Sanyal expressed that other developing nations are also concerned about this issue, viewing it as a form of neo-colonialism. Ministries have been instructed to establish benchmarks and maintain communication with ratings agencies.
India is monitoring upcoming indices such as the financial development index by the International Monetary Fund, gender inequality and human development indices by UNDP, logistics performance and worldwide governance indicators by the World Bank. (Reporting by Sarita Chaganti Singh; Editing by Conor Humphries)
