Barbados, Guyana to honour Indian Prime Minister Modi with highest national awards

The government of Barbados and the government of Guyana has announced to confer its highest state honour on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  

The esteemed award ‘Honorary Order of Freedom of Barbados’ will be conferred upon on the Indian leader on November 20, 2024, during the opening ceremony of the India-CARICOM summit. 

The award, announced ahead of the summit, is to recognize the Indian Prime Minister’s pivotal role in facilitating COVID-19 vaccines for Caribbean islands during the global health crisis.  

India's gift of 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines arrived Barbados earlier today. This was a very special moment for all Barbadians and I want to thank Prime Minister Modi for his quick, decisive, and magnanimous action in allowing us to be the beneficiary of these vaccines. pic.twitter.com/cSCb40c2mt

— Mia Amor Mottley (@miaamormottley) February 10, 2021

While the honor has been officially announced, it will be presented to the Indian Minister on behalf of Prime Minister Modi at the Government’s request.  

According to reports, Modi’s schedule is fully occupied during the upcoming summit, all set to be hosted at Georgetown, Guyana, from November 19 to 21, 2024. 

The Government of Barbados said that the highest national award is being conferred to acknowledge Modi’s efforts in fostering international solidarity as well as cooperation, and underscores India’s contribution to pandemic recovery.  

In addition to this, the government of Guyana has also announced that it will confer its top award on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his official state visit. The highest national award of Guyana “The Order of Excellence” is to honour him for his assistance during the global pandemic and his continued efforts in strengthening the relations between Guyana and India.  

The announcement came after the Government of Dominica announced its highest National Award “Dominica Award of Honour” for the Indian leader which he will be receiving today (Wednesday Morning).  

These latest awards will take PM Modi’s tally of international honours to 19, showcasing the influence of the leader across the world. 

Notably, PM Narendra Modi is presently in Guyana on the last leg of these three nations visit after the G20 Summit in Brazil. He arrived on the island a few hours ago and is expected to engage in several significant meetings with the heads of governments of the CARICOM member states. 

Modi becomes first Indian Prime Minister to visit Guyana in 56 years  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Guyana earlier today and marked the first visit by an Indian PM to the South American country in over five decades.  

He received a warm welcome by President Mohamed Irfaan Ali and over a dozen cabinet members at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport in Georgetown.  

Modi was also accorded by a ceremonial welcome and Guard of Honour at the airport and is set to address a special sitting of parliament of Guyana.  

The Prime Minister has a packed programme on November 20 and 21. According to the official sources, some of the significant events would include a bilateral meeting with President Dr Irfaan Ali and he will also be participating in the 2nd India Caricom summit, in which head of government and head of states from nearly 14 Caricom member states would be present. 

𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗶’𝘀 𝗚𝘂𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Guyana, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister since 1968. The Guyana-India relationship holds great significance, as nearly… pic.twitter.com/ac5ZFCZEMt

— Modi Story (@themodistory) November 19, 2024

PM Modi will also be addressing the Parliament of Guyana and will also be addressing the Indian community and the Indian diaspora. Besides that, he has other engagements also in which the public, the Indian diaspora and the community would have an opportunity to see him. 

He would be visiting the monument, the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Promenade Gardens, and he would also be visiting the Indian Commemoration Trust at the Monument Garden and pay tribute to the memorial erected in the memory of Indian indentured labour, who came to Guyana in 1838.