Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with the prestigious ‘Honorary Order of Freedom of Barbados’ in recognition of his strategic leadership and valuable assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic. The award, the highest civilian honour of Barbados, symbolises the enduring friendship between India and the Caribbean nation. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday that Minister of State for External Affairs and Textiles, Pabitra Margherita, received the award on behalf of Prime Minister Modi at a ceremony held in Bridgetown, Barbados. The announcement of the award was made by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley during her meeting with Prime Minister Modi on November 20, 2024, on the sidelines of the 2nd India-CARICOM Leaders’ Summit in Georgetown, Guyana. Mottley highlighted Modi’s significant role in strengthening international cooperation and providing valuable assistance to nations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Margherita, while receiving the award on behalf of PM Modi, expressed gratitude and highlighted the deepening diplomatic ties between India and Barbados. He remarked, “It is a profound honour to represent Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accept this prestigious award on his behalf. This recognition underscores the deepening ties between India and Barbados, as well as our shared commitment to collaboration and development, especially in times of crisis.”
Let us have a close look at the highest civilian award recieved by some of the global leaders
A) Narendra Modi
The Indian Prime Minister has received 14 highest civilian awards and stands in the first place with a high difference followed by Russian President Vladimir Putin with 6. Here is the list of all the highest civilian awards conferred to the Indian Prime Minister grabbed in the past 10 years of being in office.
1. Dominica Award of Honour
The Commonwealth of Dominica announced to confer its highest national award, the Dominica Award of Honour, on PM Modi.
2. Order of St. Andrew Award
On the 9th of July, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin honored the Indian Prime Minister with Russia’s highest national award at St. Andrew Hall in the Kremlin.
3. Order of the Druk Gyalpo
Bhutan’s highest civilian award was presented to Narendra Modi in March 2024 and thus he became the first foreign Head of Government to receive this award.
4. Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
In July 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, France’s highest civilian and military distinction, from French President Emmanuel Macron.
5. Grand Cross of the Order of Honour
On August 25, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Honour by the President of Greece, H.E. Katerina N. Sakellaropoulou.
6. Order of Nile
In June 2023, the ‘Order of the Nile’ award which is Egypt’s highest state honor was given to PM Modi by the President of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
7. Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was honored by the Governor General of Papua New Guinea Bob Dadae with the Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu (GCL), the highest civilian award of Papua New Guinea
8. Companion of the Order of Fiji
Fiji’s highest honor was bestowed by its Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka upon the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2023.
9. Rule of Nishan Izzuddeen
‘Rule of Nishan Izzuddeen’, the highest honor of Maldives was bestowed upon the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi by its President Ibrahim Mohamed in 2019.
10. Order of Zayed Award
In 2019, PM Narendra Modi was honored with the UAE’s highest civilian award ‘Order of Zayed’.
11. King Hamad Order of the Renaissance
In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded the King Hamad Order of the Renaissance by Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
12. Grand Collar of the State of Palestine Award
The President of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas in 2018 honored the Indian Prime Minister with the ‘Grand Collar of the State of Palestine’.
13. Amir Amanullah Khan Award
Afghanistan honored Prime Minister Modi with their country’s highest civilian honor, the Amir Amanullah Khan Award in 2016.
14. King Abdulaziz Sash
King Abdulaziz Sash was presented to Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz back in 2016.
B) Vladimir Putin (President of Russia)
1. Order of the Golden Eagle (Kazakhstan): The highest civilian honor of Kazakhstan.
2. Order of Zayed (United Arab Emirates): The highest civilian honor of the UAE.
3. King Abdulaziz Order (Saudi Arabia): The highest civilian honor of Saudi Arabia.
4. Order of José Martí (Cuba): The highest civilian honor of Cuba.
5. Order of the Liberator General San Martín (Argentina): The highest civilian honor of Argentina.
6. Order of the Nile (Egypt): The highest civilian honor of Egypt.
C) Nelson Mandela (Former President of South Africa)
1. Bharat Ratna (India): The highest civilian honor of India.
2. Order of Canada (Canada): The highest civilian honor of Canada.
3. Presidential Medal of Freedom (USA): The highest civilian honor of the United States.
D) Barack Obama (Former President of the United States)
Order of King Abdulaziz (Saudi Arabia): The highest civilian honor of Saudi Arabia.
E) Xi Jinping (President of China)
Order of King Abdulaziz (Saudi Arabia): The highest civilian honor of Saudi Arabia.
F) Donald Trump (Former President of the United States)
Order of King Abdulaziz (Saudi Arabia): The highest civilian honor of Saudi Arabia.
G) Imran Khan (Former Prime Minister of Pakistan)
Order of King Abdulaziz (Saudi Arabia): The highest civilian honor of Saudi Arabia.
H) Theresa May (Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)
Order of King Abdulaziz (Saudi Arabia): The highest civilian honor of Saudi Arabia.
I) François Hollande (Former President of France)
1. Order of King Abdulaziz (Saudi Arabia): The highest civilian honor of Saudi Arabia.
J) Jacob Zuma (Former President of South Africa)
Order of King Abdulaziz (Saudi Arabia): The highest civilian honor of Saudi Arabia.
