Fragile State Index for India 2017 is 72/178

Fragile States Index 2017 by Fund for Peace 

 

• The Fragile States Index 2017, produced by The Fund for Peace, is a critical tool in highlighting not only the normal pressures that all states experience, but also in identifying when those pressures are pushing a state towards the brink of failure.
• Though the FSI does not predict unrest or turmoil, it does provide early warning of the conditions that can likely give rise to instability.
• India's ranking is 72/178 and 77.9/120 slipping by 1.6 points from previous year. However among BRICS nations India is better than Russia(67) only, whereas China (85), South Africa(96) and Brazil(110) stands better than India.

• If a shock of some variety were to occur - from a natural disaster to a recession to localized communal violence – that such events in any of these countries could have dire consequences given the pre-existing conditions of fragility.
• While the economic trajectory tells one part of the story, the gap in public services between the urban areas and rural areas (where over 60% of the population still live) hints at growing disparities.
• During past decade 2007-2017, worsening was significant for India. All our neighboring countries have improved during the decade.

Read the source - Fragile States Index Annual Report 2017

Other than change of guard following adverse elections results, democracy is non existent in India. Citizen rights undermined, justice dispensation limited to upper classes, civic services at their worst especially in villages and urban poor areas, rule of the law never followed, and so on is reflected in the Fragile States Index 2017 showing at least 106 countries better placed i.e. 72/178 is matter of shame for this largest democracy in the world even after 70 years of independence. Almost all neighboring countries did get better ranks than India speaks volumes about our chest thumping of democracy and claims of emerging economy shouting. Rather we have to guard ourselves against slipping into the category of 'failed states'.