The claim of New Delhi-based think tank **World Intellectual Foundation (WIF)** launching **Responsible Nations Index (RNI)** is true and has been widely reported in credible Indian media outlets including Zee News, Times of India, Hindustan Times, ThePrint, IBEF, InsightsIAS and others, placing the events around **January 19-20, 2026** (some reports refer to Thursday, January 22 Matches the context, but the launch happened earlier in the week).
**RNI** is a new global framework developed by WIF over three years with academic collaboration with **Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)** and methodological support from **Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Mumbai**. It evaluates 154 countries on dimensions such as ethical governance, internal responsibility (citizen welfare and inclusivity), environmental management, and international behavior/responsibility – moving away from traditional power/economic metrics (e.g., GDP, military power) and focusing on “responsibility-centric” assessments using data from sources such as the World Bank, UN, and World Justice Project.
Launch program in New Delhi **Dr. Ambedkar International Centre**, in which **former President Ram Nath Kovind** was the chief guest. He emphasized on ethical governance, inclusive development, moral responsibility and sustainable progress. **Sudhanshu Mittal**, Founder and Secretary of WIF, highlighted the index as a paradigm shift towards linking national success with human and ethical values, fostering a global dialogue on responsible nationalism.
Key rankings from the first RNI report:
– **Top 5**: Singapore (1st), Switzerland (2nd), Denmark (3rd), Cyprus (possibly 4th in some lists), Sweden (5th).
– **India**: 16th (out of 154).
– **United States**: 66th.
– **China**: 68th.
– **Pakistan**: About 90th (consistent across reports; some have the US ranked 65th, below Libya).
The index covers 58 indicators across seven dimensions and 15 aspects, aiming to encourage ethical, sustainable and cooperative global conduct. There do not appear to be any major discrepancies in reporting; Presenting this as a counter to “propaganda rankings” (e.g., giving Pakistan/Bangladesh more importance than India in other indexes) reflects biased commentary in some media outlets, but is not a central part of describing the actual facts.
The initiative is an India-led effort to redefine global benchmarks amid ongoing debates over international assessments.
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