India committed to countering misinformation by strengthening data systems: Govt to RS

The Ministry of External Affairs MEA was asked about the manner in which international perceptions, shaped by global indices and rankings, impact Indias diplomatic relations and foreign investment, and regarding the efforts underway to engage with global data organisations to promote unbiased and evidence-based evaluation of countries.

India is committed to ''countering misinformation and biased narratives'' by strengthening its data systems and promoting independent research, and whenever necessary, New Delhi has not hesitated to call out ''prejudiced and motivated narratives'', the government informed Parliament on Thursday. In a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita also said global indices and rankings are prepared by external organisations based on their respective methodologies and data sources. ''While they may be one of several reference points for international stakeholders, diplomatic engagements and foreign investment flows are guided by multiple factors, including macroeconomic fundamentals, market size, growth prospects, policy initiatives and institutional frameworks,'' he said. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was asked about the manner in which international perceptions, shaped by global indices and rankings, impact India's diplomatic relations and foreign investment, and regarding the efforts underway to engage with global data organisations to promote ''unbiased and evidence-based evaluation of countries''. The government engages with multilateral institutions and organisations through ''established consultative and technical mechanisms'' to facilitate accurate understanding of India's data, reforms and institutional arrangements to ensure that rankings are based on ''objective, up-to-date and contextually relevant data'', Margherita said. ''India is committed to countering misinformation and biased narratives by strengthening its data systems, promoting independent research, and engaging constructively with international index compilers to ensure fair, evidence-based assessments of its governance and development progress. At the same time, whenever necessary, government has not hesitated in calling out prejudiced and motivated narratives,'' he added. In a separate query, the MEA was asked about specific diplomatic efforts undertaken in recent years to ''improve the global standing of the Indian passport''. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, in a written response, said the government has been continuously making efforts to increase the number of countries that may provide visa-free travel and visa-on-arrival and e-Visa facilities to Indians for ease of travelling around the world. The lists of countries that provide visa-free entry or the visa-on-arrival and e-Visa facilities to Indian passport holders are available on the MEA's website, he added. ''There are certain private institutions, which publish passport ratings/rankings based on parameters decided by them. However, there is no widely accepted ranking system for passports at global level that can be taken as a standard, in the absence of acceptable criteria to rank passports,'' Singh said.

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