PM Modi, Mamata Banerjee, SII CEO Poonawalla on Time Magazine's list of '100 Most Influential People of 2021'

India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla have featured in Time Magazine's annual global list of most influential people.

Time Magazine unveiled its 2021 global list of 'The 100 Most Influential People' on Wednesday. The list is divided into six categories — Icons, Pioneers, Titans, Artists, Leaders and Innovators.

NARENDRA MODI

The profile of PM Narendra Modi has been written by CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria. The magazine has described the prime minister as one of the three pivotal leaders India has had since Independence — Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Narendra Modi.

“Narendra Modi (70) is the third, dominating the country's politics like no one since then,” Zakaria writes.

In a profile critical of the policies of the government, Zakaria writes, “Despite mishandling COVID-19—the death toll has been estimated to be much higher than the official count—his approval rating has slipped to a still sky-high 71%.”

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PM Modi on Time Magazine’s ‘100 most influential people of 2020’ list, but with a caveat

MAMATA BANERJEE

Journalist Barkha Dutt has written the profile of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. The magazine describes her as the "face of fierceness in Indian politics".

“Of Banerjee (66), it is said, she doesn't lead her party, the Trinamool Congress — she is the party. The street-fighter spirit and self-made life in a patriarchal culture set her apart,” Barkha Dutt writes.

At another place, her profile reads, “Unlike many other women in Indian politics, Mamata has never been framed as someone’s wife, mother, daughter or partner. She rose from abject poverty—working once as a stenographer and a milk-booth vendor to support her family.”

ADAR POONAWALLA

The profile of SII CEO Adar PoonawallaIt has been written by Abhishyant Kidangoor, a producer with Time Magazine. Adar Poonawalla features in the ‘Pioneers’ section of the Time Magazine list.

His profile reads, “The pandemic is not over yet, and Poonawalla could still help end it. Vaccine inequality is stark, and delayed immunisation in one part of the world can have global consequences-including the risk of more dangerous variants emerging.”

“His company, the Serum Institute of India, was already the world’s largest vaccine maker when he promised 1.1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the developing world by the end of 2021. That assurance was the backbone of the plan for global vaccine access mounted by a coalition of institutions, including the World Health Organization,” Kidangoor writes.

OTHERS ON TIME MAGAZINE'S ANNUAL LIST

Apart from PM Narendra Modi, CM Mamata Banerjee and SII CEO Adar Poonawalla, the list includes US President Joe Biden, US Vice-President Kamala Harris, Chinese President Xi Jinping, former US President Donald Trump and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex — Prince Harry and Meghan.

Interestingly, the name of the Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar also features in Time Magazine's list of 'Most Influential People of 2021'. Taliban founder Mullah Omar, too, featured on Time Magazine’s cover in 2001.

In Time Magazine’s profile, Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid describes Mullah Baradar as a “charismatic military leader” and a “deeply pious figure”.

Baradar led the Taliban during negotiations for a peace-deal with the US in Doha, Qatar. He was recently named deputy prime minister in the interim Taliban government.