Highlights of India Today Hindi 13th November 2024 issue:

Cover Story:  High and Mighty

Ounche Aur Asardaar

High and Mighty. The phrase evokes a narrow band of ‘the elect’ up in the sky, like the deities drawn in calendar art. A ‘power elite’ at a remote distance from the rest. As we give you India today’s High & Mighty list of 2024, allow us to add a critical caveat to that. H&M 2024 reflects a change in how we view power. Firstly, it’s an expanded list. It’s not a List of 50, with only the pantheons of politicians, high-powered officials and global Indians given special treatment outside of it. H&M24 names 110 luminaries. And they are uniformly ordered by the logic of special treatment for each domain.

Political

Bharat Ka Shakti Path

All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for their equal protection and benefit, and they have the right to alter, reform, or abolish it.” This timeless espousal of people’s sovereignty found another iteration in India this summer. Narendra Modi won a third consecutive term, but with a reduced mandate. He is on the top of our list. UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Home minister Amit Shah are also in the list.

Officials

Desh Ke Fauladi Kavach

It has long been recognised that while iconic figures stride across the political field talking of big change, it is the bureaucracy whose work endures. They bring order to change, navigating the nitty-gritty and authoring the fine print—often also the main text of policy. We take an expansive view of officialdom, choosing 10 individuals who form the backbone of India’s governance structure, holding roles that impact every facet of the nation’s functioning, from security to financial stability to justice delivery. For instance, P.K. Mishra, as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, orchestrates policy across ministries. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval handles everything from geostrategic to Defence.

Businesspeople

Boardroom Ke Baadshah

Disrupt or be disrupted. That’s the reality Indian businesses are living every day. Whether it’s India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani laying the groundwork for a national AI infrastructure, steel tycoon Sajjan Jindal entering the electric vehicle market, Kumar Mangalam Birla venturing into paints and jewellery, or N. Chandrasekaran of Tata Sons betting big on semiconductors, the spirit of Indian entrepreneurship and innovation shines bright.

Innovators

Nidar Navachari

In the bustling arena of Indian entrepreneurship, a new breed of innovators is rewriting the rules of business, technology and social impact even as there are a few veterans who are still going strong.  At the helm of this transformation are leaders like Deepinder Goyal, who steered Zomato to its first profitable year, and the Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal, who is now venturing into Artificial Intelligence.