Swaraj was named in the “decision makers†category.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was named in the Foreign Policy magazine’s 2016 list of Global Thinkers “for fashioning a novel brand of Twitter diplomacyâ€.
Swaraj was named in the “decision makers†category along with the Democratic Party’s nominee for US presidential election Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau among others.
The magazine recalled how, when around 10,000 Indian workers in Saudi Arabia faced a “food crisis†earlier this year due to job losses, Swaraj tweeted about the issue to six million followers on the social media website.
“What followed was a weeks-long social media operation in which Swaraj posted information for migrants about rations provided by the Indian embassy, claims for unpaid wages, and government-organized transportation home,†the magazine said in a website posting.
“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’s online post said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Swaraj upon being named in the Foreign Policy list.
“Very proud to see our hardworking EAM @SushmaSwaraj part of the @ForeignPolicy Global Thinkers list 2016! Congrats,†the Prime Minister tweeted.
Sushma Swaraj is currently recuperating from a kidney transplant operation at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi. Her popular perception was so positive that many came ahead to donate their kidneys for her transplant surgery.
Apart from Swaraj, the other Indians in the Foreign Policy list are immunologist Gursaram Prasad Talwar who has developed a vaccine for leprosy, and Anupama and Vineet Nayar, co- founders of Sampark Foundation for their work on improving India’s primary education system in rural areas.
Social Media Updates:
In a year pockmarked by pessimism, FP's 100 #GlobalThinkers are making a powerful case for optimism: https://t.co/CuqCqxh2zP pic.twitter.com/bvWGwmVkh0
— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) December 15, 2016
Very proud to see our hardworking EAM @SushmaSwaraj part of the @ForeignPolicy Global Thinkers list 2016! Congrats. https://t.co/92H4a2drCI
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 14, 2016