India has been downgraded from a "free" country to a "partly free" country in the latest Freedom in the World report published by the US-based advocacy group Freedom House. In the 2021 report titled "Freedom in the World 2021: Democracy under Siege", India has a rating of 67 out of 100 when judged on political rights and civil liberties indicators.
India's status, the report states, has declined due to a "multiyear pattern in which the Hindu nationalist government and its allies have presided over rising violence and discriminatory policies affecting the Muslim population and pursued a crackdown on expressions of dissent by the media, academics, civil society groups, and protesters".
Barring 2015 when it was 78, India's global freedom ratings have steadily declined since Modi became the Prime Minister of India in 2014.
On What Basis Was India's Status Downgraded?
The report notes that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, the Indian government has "presided over discriminatory policies and increased violence affecting the Muslim population". Muslims, scheduled castes (Dalits) and scheduled tribes (Adivasis) remain economically and socially marginalized, the report adds.
Stating that though the Indian constitution guarantees freedom of expression and other human rights, "harassment of journalists, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and other government critics has increased significantly under Modi".
Methodology
The 2021 Freedom in the World report was produced by over 125 analysts and nearly 40 advisers.
The analysts prepared draft reports and scores using sources like news articles, academic analyses, reports from NGOs, individual professional contacts and on-ground research. These scores are then discussed and defended at review meetings which include Freedom House staff and expert advisers.
A country is awarded 0 to 4 points for each of 10 political rights indicators and 15 civil liberties indicators with 0 representing the smallest degree of freedom and 4 the greatest degree of freedom.
The scores from the political rights indicators and civil liberties indicators are equally weighted to determine which of Free, Partly Free or Not Free status a country gets.
Click here for a detailed understanding of the methodology.
What Are India's Scores?
India scored 34 out of 40 under political rights indicators and 33 out of 60 under civil liberties indicators.
Under political rights indicators, India got the following scores:
- Electoral Process: 12/12
- Political Pluralism and Participation: 13/16
- Functioning of Government: 9/12
Under the civil liberties indicators, India got the following scores:
- Freedom of Expression and Belief: 9/16
- Associational and Organizational Rights: 7/12
- Rule of Law: 8/16
- Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights: 9/16
The Scandinavian nations of Finland, Norway and Sweden have secured a perfect score of 100 followed by New Zealand with a score of 99.
Syria, with a score of 1, ranks last followed by Eritrea, South Sudan and Turkmenistan all with a score of 2. China, with a score of 9, and Russia, with a score of 20, are among the not free countries.
The United States of America, which dropped below a score of 90 in the run-up to Donald Trump's election in 2016, slid further down to a score of 83 in 2020.
Decline In Free Countries In The World
The COVID-19 pandemic, economic downturn and violent conflict in 2020 has marked the 15th consecutive year of decline in global freedom. Incumbent leaders have used their political power to silence opposition and other critical voices like journalists and civil rights activists.
The report states that as of 2020, there are 82 free countries, 59 partly free countries and 54 not free countries.
The report notes that number of free countries has reached its lowest level over the past 15 years while the number of not free countries has reached its highest level over the same period.
