PM Modi conferred with Trinidad and Tobago’s highest civilian honour

Port of Spain: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Friday conferred with ‘The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago’ - the country's highest civilian honour.

Modi, who is on a two-day visit to the Caribbean island nation on the second leg of his five-nation tour, was bestowed the award in recognition of his global leadership, his deep engagement with the Indian diaspora, and his humanitarian efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Honoured to be conferred with ‘The Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago’. I accept it on behalf of 140 crore Indians," Modi said.

The award was announced by Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Thursday, who described Modi’s visit as a moment of shared pride and historical connection.

This is Modi's first visit to the country as prime minister and the first Indian bilateral visit at the prime ministerial level to Trinidad and Tobago since 1999.

Modi arrived here from Ghana, where he was conferred with ‘The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana’, the country's national honour.

The award was conferred on the prime minister in recognition of his "distinguished statesmanship and influential global leadership", the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.