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India: 53% want Modi to be PM in 2024 too
BY S VENKAT NARAYAN
Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, August 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains by far India’s most popular and tallest political leader despite inflation, raging Covid-19, surging oil prices, and a multitude of problems that have plagued the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-led government over the past two years.
According to the August edition of the Mood of the Nation poll by India Today news magazine, Modi’s popularity continues to remain ahead of his political rivals, even after being in office for over eight years. There is no one even close to him.Close to 53 per cent of respondents in the poll favoured Modi as the next prime minister. While only nine percent backed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and seven percent favoured of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal for the top post.
Forty percent of respondents rated Congress’s role as Opposition as ‘good’, while 34 per cent rated it as ‘poor’.
The survey revealed that 23 per cent of the respondents believed Rahul Gandhi to be best suited to revive the Congress, while 16 per cent backed former former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the role while 14 percent of those surveyed believed Sachin Pilot would be able to revive the Grand Old Party, with only nine percent favouring Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for the role.
The survey was conducted by India Today in association with C-Voter to gauge the nation’s mood The recent Bihar political upheaval would likely impact the alliance’s seat share, as per the August edition of the Mood of the Nation poll.
The survey found that, if the polls were held today, the NDA government would be in lead, but it will have to bear the brunt of Nitish Kumar leaving the alliance in Bihar.According to the survey, if the Lok Sabha elections were held by August 1, the NDA would have got 307 seats out of 543 in the Lok Sabha, UPA 125 seats, while other parties would have won 111 seats. But if elections are held after the change of government in Bihar, then the NDA would have a direct loss of 21 seats. The NDA would get 286 seats, while the UPA would get 146 seats, the survey found.
A large part of the poll was held before Nitish Kumar snapped ties with the BJP-led NDA in Bihar, but a snap poll on August 10 gave immediate fallout of Nitish Kumar’s dramatic shift in alliances.India Today and C-Voter conducted the survey between February 2022 and August 2022. A total of 122,016 respondents were interviewed to gauge the nation’s mood.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
