India is planning to challenge global rankings on topics such as governance and press freedom, which it believes are “agenda-driven” and “neo-colonial”. Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of Modi’s Economic Advisory Council, said India has begun to raise this issue at global forums. Sanyal believes the rankings have a direct impact on trade, investment and other activities. He has also pointed out flaws in methods used to compile global indices, used by institutions like the World Bank, World Economic Forum and United Nations Development Programme. The matter is being taken up by the Cabinet Secretariat, which has held more than a dozen meetings on the issue this year. India has said it plans to be an advocate for developing countries under its G20 presidency.
