India mulls new democracy report, freedom index by local think tank
IN AN INTERNAL NOTE, MEA SAID THE GOVT MUST ENCOURAGE ITS OWN REPORT BASED ON SOME PARAMETERS
NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs is mulling a “world democracy report” as well as a “global press freedom index” to be brought out by an independent Indian think tank, according to people familiar with the matter and government documents reviewed by HT. The discussions to do this were going on before recent reports by Freedom House and V-Dem Institute downgraded India’s democratic rankings.
“We may encourage one of the Indian independent think tanks to bring out its own annual world democracy report based on comprehensive parameters as well as an annual global freedom of press index,” an internal note prepared by the ministry of external affairs (MEA) earlier this year said.
The ministry of external affairs did not respond to queries seeking a comment on the matter. To be sure, the matter is still being considered and HT learns that no decision has been taken.
The ministry of external affairs began discussions late last year after the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) forwarded to it a letter written by former Prasar Bharti chairman and current executive member of the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML), A Surya Prakash, on November 20, suggesting that India should counter reports such as the report from the Sweden-based V-Dem Institute and the Press Freedom Index by defining its own parameters on democracy, two officials aware of the development confirmed.
NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs is mulling a “world democracy report” as well as a “global press freedom index” to be brought out by an independent Indian think tank, according to people familiar with the matter and government documents reviewed by HT. The discussions to do this were going on before recent reports by Freedom House and V-Dem Institute downgraded India’s democratic rankings.
“We may encourage one of the Indian independent think tanks to bring out its own annual world democracy report based on comprehensive parameters as well as an annual global freedom of press index,” an internal note prepared by the ministry of external affairs (MEA) earlier this year said.
The ministry did not respond to queries seeking a comment on the matter.
To be sure, the matter is still being considered and HT learns that no decision has been taken.
The ministry began discussions late last year after the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) forwarded to it a letter written by former Prasar Bharti chairman and current executive member of the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML), A Surya Prakash, on November 20, suggesting that India should counter reports such as the one from the Sweden-based V-Dem Institute and the Press Freedom Index by defining its own parameters on democracy, two officials aware of the development confirmed.
HT has reviewed a copy of
Prakash’s letter, written on November 20, 2020 – months after V-Dem report of the year 2020 was released. The report had said that India “has continued on a path of steep decline to the extent it has almost lost its status as a democracy”.
Last week, in its 2021 report, the V-Dem Institute classified India as an “electoral autocracy” alongside Hungary and Turkey because of “restrictions on multiple facets of democracy” such as civil society groups and free speech. This came close on the heels of the annual report on global political rights and liberties by US-based Freedom House, which downgraded India’s status as a democracy and free society to “partly free”.
In its internal note, MEA also suggested that missions across the world could actively engage with NGO/institutes such as the RSF and V-Dem and provide them with material that will help them put “India at the rightful place on the democracy and press-freedom index, in future reports”.
Last week, minister for external affairs S Jaishankar slammed the reports calling out the outlets for their “hypocrisy”..
DISCUSSIONS WERE GOING ON BEFORE RECENT REPORTS BY FREEDOM HOUSE AND V-DEM INSTITUTE DOWNGRADED INDIA’S DEMOCRATIC RANKINGS