Sushma Swaraj, Vineet Nayar in FP's Global Thinkers 2016 list

Image
Press Trust of India Washington
Last Updated : Dec 13 2016 | 5:07 PM IST
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and philanthropist couple Anupama and Vineet Nayar are among the Indians who have been named in the Global Thinkers of 2016 List compiled by the Foreign Policy magazine.
Swaraj was named in the 'Decision-makers' category along with the Democratic nominee for US President Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US Attorney General Loretta Lynch among others.
The magazine complimented Swaraj "for fashioning a novel brand of Twitter diplomacy".
"From evacuating Indians from Yemen to helping replace lost passports, Swaraj has earned the nickname "the common tweeple's leader" for her aggressive use of Twitter," the magazine noted.
The magazine also listed the co-founders of Sampark Foundation the Nayars in 'the Moguls' segment for 'unplugging technology so kids can learn'.
Through their Sampark Foundation, the former HCL Technologies executive and his wife are on a mission to revamp rural India's primary education system with low-tech teaching tools.
They have created 'smart class kits' which include various frugal innovations, such as a plastic audio device that introduces English words and lasts 15 days without a charge. The cost of supplying kits is just USD 1 per year per child.
The Nayars want to reach 50,000 schools, including those in nearby Chhattisgarh and Jammu and Kashmir.
The Nayars were named along with other thinkers who "put their money where their morality is" including Melinda Gates, Crown Princess of Norway Mette Marit and Kate Roberts, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg among others.
Other Indians who made it to the global thinkers of 2016 list include, Nitesh Kadyan, Nikhil Kaushik, and Anirudh Sharma of Graviky Labs, an Indian firm that uses polluted air to create art supplies and immunologist Gursaran Prasad Talwar as the inoculation, developed by him could decrease leprosy rates by 65 per cent over three years.
The Global Thinkers honoured here are proof that, as a society's pillars falter, individuals step in to bear the weight. They pledged personal wealth to create a safer, healthier future for all, the magazine said.
The 100 Leading Global Thinkers of 2016 are emblematic of our innate desire to confront pessimism rather than surrender to despair, to challenge ugliness rather than resign to failure, it added.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Dec 13 2016 | 5:07 PM IST

Next Story